When Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ newly-elected board took control of Disney’s special tax district, they were in for a rude awakening: The Mouse House had only surrendered control of roads and basic infrastructure maintenance, and nothing else.
The board then mounted a legal challenge against Disney’s agreement, and yesterday (Apr. 3), DeSantis ordered a state investigation into the previous Disney-controlled board. At Disney’s annual shareholder meeting the same day, CEO Bob Iger criticized the state’s repeated attacks on the entertainment giant.
“Any action that thwarts those efforts simply to retaliate for a position the company took sounds not just anti-business, but it sounds anti-Florida,” Iger told shareholders.
The “position” Disney took was opposing Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which curbs classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools before fourth grade. Iger admitted that Disney, which at first appeared reluctant to criticize the law, could have handled its response better, but defended the company’s constitutional right to take a stand.
“While a company has First Amendment rights, it does not have the right to run its own government and operate outside the bounds of Florida law. The Florida Legislature and Gov. DeSantis worked to put Disney on an even playing field, and Disney got caught attempting to undermine Florida’s...
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