One state's governor has a few words about the latest fallout from the controversy between Disney (DIS) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Those comments, posted to Twitter May 18, don't hold anything back.
DON'T MISS: Walt Disney Makes a Move Likely to Enrage DeSantis
"Turns out, bigoted policies have consequences," California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted. "That's 2,000+ jobs that will be welcomed back with open arms to the Golden State. Thank you for doing the right thing, @Disney."
On May 18, Disney canceled a massive $1 billion plan to build a company office project in Florida that also involved relocating 2,000 California employees. The company cited “changing business conditions,” in a memo reported by CNN and other media outlets.
The controversy began in 2022 when Disney took a position opposing legislation backed by DeSantis imposing limits on grade school discussions of sexual preference.
DeSantis, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, fired back hard.
DeSantis moved to take control of a special district covering Disney World and Disney’s other massive real-estate holdings near Orlando. The Reedy Creek Improvement District allowed the company to basically manage much of the day-to-day municipal affairs of the area, including zoning and fire protection. Hundreds of similar districts exist throughout the state, albeit at a smaller scale.
DeSantis pushed through a bill creating a new oversight body made up of his own appointees who were named earlier this year. Disney, however, wrote extensive contracts while it still controlled the district that effectively gutted any powers the new agency would have.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had recently weighed in on the controversy April 27.
"I think the governor should sit down with them," he said on CNBC April 27. "I don’t think building a prison next to a place where you bring your families is the best idea."
"I think it would be much better if they sat down and solved the problems," he added. Twitter user @atrupar posted the video.
DeSantis had floated the idea of building a prison near the Disney World theme park in Orlando on April 17.
"On the same point," McCarthy said, "If you are going to be an employer inside this state, you should also abide by the rules and run your business and I don’t think you should get into politics."
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