An all-out war has broken out between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Now, the entertainment and political worlds are taking bets on who will blink first.
Politics
The heightened tensions began when DeSantis and the Florida Republican Party instigated “Don’t Say Gay” — the new state law which prohibits the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity within Florida’s public school system. Initially, Disney remained silent over the controversial new law. However, with so many LGBTQ employees within its ranks, Disney eventually came out against the law and demanded that it be revoked.
Needless to say, Gov. DeSantis — who is maneuvering to run for president in 2024 — was not at all amused. So, in a display of power for his GOP comrades, he sought nasty revenge.
For years, the Walt Disney Company has enjoyed the privilege of being designated as a special tax district within Florida (in exchange for providing extremely generous campaign contributions to the state’s political elite). Or, to put it more succinct, Disney has been allowed to effectively operate as its own nation within a nation and to self-govern for more than 55 years. However, the moment the entertainment giant poked its nose into the “Don’t Say Gay” political game in Florida, DeSantis pursued punishment and revoked Disney’s special status by forcing it to immediately begin to comply with the laws and rules of the State of Florida just like everyone else.
“If Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy,” DeSantis wrote in a fund-raising email last Wednesday to potential political supporters. “I will not allow a ‘woke’ corporation based in California to run our state. Disney has gotten away with special deals from the state of Florida for way too long,” he continued.
“Disney thought they ruled Florida. They even tried to attack me to advance their woke agenda,” DeSantis added. “But no more!” He then went on to threaten the company by saying he is “…going to make sure that people understand your business practices and anything I don’t like about what you’re doing.”
In response to DeSantis and his political temper tantrum, Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided to go tit for tat by immediately moving all of the company’s “Imagineers” (the brilliant minds who design all rides and attractions for the theme park) out of Florida and back to Burbank, CA where the company is headquartered.
“All Florida work will be conducted in Burbank moving forward,” Chapek said last week, effectively pulling around 1,800 employees and millions of tax dollars out of the sunshine state.
Although DeSantis has yet to respond to Chapek’s chess move, the multi-billion dollar DisneyWorld could reportedly close up shop altogether in Florida and relocate its successful amusement parks to a city and state that doesn’t permit LGBTQ discrimination should DeSantis seek to prolong the fight.
Or, in other words, the privately-owned Disney could have the last laugh by divorcing itself from Florida and leaving the state with billions of dollars in lost tax revenue. After all, if it can’t continue to run things its own way after 55 years of enjoying the privilege, what incentive would the company have to stay in the “Don’t Say Gay” state?
Does DeSantis really want an all-out war with Disney over sexuality and morality opinions less than a year before he announces his run for the presidency? Is picking a fight with the entertainment conglomerate really worth the perk of gaining political points with Republican Party honchos? Will DeSantis win this one in the end, or does the mighty Mickey Mouse hold all the cards here?
OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
Florida’s Gov. DeSantis vs the Walt Disney Co.
Business Insider: A top state legislator in Florida said he believes there’s an ulterior motive behind Gov. Ron Desantis stripping Disney of its special tax status in an ongoing feud over the state’s controversial education law dubbed by advocates and critics the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. On Friday, DeSantis signed a bill into law that would sunset a special taxing and governance area — in which the landowners are primarily Walt Disney World — known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District by June 2023. But Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer told Insider that DeSantis’ public dispute with Disney is taking attention away from other legislative agendas the Florida governor has been putting forth — namely, the new proposed redistricting map that would give the GOP an edge in the state at the expense of Black voters. “Governor DeSantis’ attack on Disney was designed to act as a smokescreen for the… Read more »