Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has decided to use Disney as a proxy for any company that embraces diversity and inclusiveness. He has been openly critical of the company after former Walt Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Chapek took a public stand against the governor's so-called "Don't Say Gay" legislation.
That has led to an all-out war between Disney and DeSantis despite Disney World being the largest single-site employer in Florida. Most governors don't publicly take on a company that drives billions in tourism revenue to their state, but DeSantis has chosen a different path.
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Florida's governor chose to dissolve the Disney-controlled special district that governs the land that Disney World sits on. He has played that in the media as taking away corporate handouts from a wealthy company, but Disney CEO Bob Iger pushed back hard on those charges.
Iger addressed his company's Florida situation directly during Disney's second-quarter earnings call.
"This is not about special privileges or a level playing field or Disney in any way using its leverage around the state of Florida. But since there’s been a lot said about special districts and the arrangement that we have I want to set the record straight on that too. There are about 2,000 special districts in Florida. Most are established to foster investor development -- we were one of them," he said.
The dissolution of Disney's former Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) and its replacement by a new board packed with DeSantis' hand-picked cronies has led to multiple lawsuits. Now, DeSantis has asked a federal judge to delay hearing the case until after the 2024 presidential election.
DeSantis Wants to Play the Delay Game
Disney has become a key player in DeSantis' so-called "War On Woke," which is a key part of his attempt to win over right-wing voters who support Donald Trump. Not losing the case before the election likely means more to the governor than its ultimate result.
"Disney is asking that the lawsuit proceed as normal, expecting the case to go to court in spring or summer 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is asking that the judge delay the case until spring or summer 2025, which would be after the presidential election cycle that DeSantis is currently pursuing," BlogMickey.com reported.
DeSantis and Disney have multiple lawsuits in courts regarding the end of the RCID and the creation of the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board. The core issue, however, isn't whether or not the current board stays in place.
Instead, DeSantis is trying to overthrow an agreement Disney made before the RCID was dissolved that essentially lets it still control the property for decades.
Disney has already canceled plans to spend $1 billion on a new headquarters near Disney World which would have brought 2,000 high-paying jobs from California to Florida. Iger has also threatened to divert some of its planned $17 billion in spending it has planned in Florida over the next decade.
Iger has been very blunt in making it clear that DeSantis has been putting forth a false narrative around the RCID.
"There’s also a false narrative that we have been fighting to protect tax breaks as part of this. But in fact we are the largest taxpayer in Central Florida paying over $1.1 billion in state and local taxes last year alone. We pay more taxes specifically more real estate taxes as a result of that special district," he shared.
