Bob Iger — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been at blows with Disney in a bid to seize its unique governmental powers.
He was last seen in Smyrna, Georgia, with some updates saying:
“There’s a lot of little back-and-forths going on now with the state taking control, but rest assured, you know, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“There’s more to come in that regard.”
Despite this, Disney CEO Bob Iger has stayed steady in the face of DeSantis’s assaults on the company.
On Monday, he cautioned Disney stockholders that the state’s recent actions were anti-business.
What happened?
The state of Florida has taken the effort to take away some of Disney’s sovereignty over the land, particularly the region around Disney World.
Disney made the decision in Florida after rejecting legislation approved in 2022 that would limit the discussion of LGBTQ issues in Florida classrooms.
Opponents have dubbed the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
In reaction to Florida’s actions, Bob Iger provided his most public defense of the company’s operations to date, saying:
“Our point on this is that 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.”
Disney’s land
For more than five decades, Disney has had significant power over the region surrounding its theme parks.
The electricity is controlled by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a self-governing organization whose board members have close links to Disney.
Florida moved to disband the district following the 2022 debate over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
They were aware, however, that the action would expose central Florida municipal governments to a liability of more than $1 billion owing to bond worries.
Rather, it adopted legislation in early 2023 enabling the state to designate board members.
The board
The new board revealed on Monday that the land-use power of the (now renamed) Orange County Tourist Oversight District was withdrawn before the legislation was passed.
Instead, Disney was given the land directly through a contract with Reedy Creek, which sparked fresh criticism from state politicians.
On Monday, DeSantis requested a state investigation into the outgoing board that governed the company’s special taxing district in his latest step against Disney.
In a letter to Florida’s Chief Inspector General Melina Miguel, he accused the Reedy Creek Improvement District board of collusive and self-dealing agreements.
DeSantis also cited specific ethical violations for conduct that appeared to impede his efforts to obtain control of the board.
Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis’ office released a statement suggesting that his administration is looking for a way to recover authority and maybe retaliate against Disney.
“Disney is again fighting to keep its special corporate benefits and dodge Florida law,” said DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern.
“We are not going to let that happen. As Governor DeSantis recently said, ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.'”
The statements were made prior to Bob Iger’s speech to the shareholders meeting.
In response to Bob Iger’s remarks, DeSantis’ office stated:
“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 duly-enacted legislation in the 11th hour.”
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Disney and the bill
Disney’s opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation came when employees urged the company to speak out against it.
Disney, according to Bob Iger, may have mismanaged its position.
“We love the state of Florida,” said Iger.
“I think that’s reflected in not only how much we’ve invested over the last 50 years, but how much we’ve given back in jobs and community service, taxes, tourism, of course.”
“We’ve always appreciated what the state has done for us. It’s been a two-way street.”
Bob Iger, on the other hand, suggested that the state should not retaliate against Disney for its position.
“The company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do,” said Iger.
“The governor got very angry about the position that Disney took, and it seems like he decided to retaliate against us… in effect to seek to punish a company for its exercise of a constitutional right.”
“And that just seems really wrong to me – against any company or individual, but particularly against a company that means so much to the state that you live in.”
Plans and questions
According to Bob Iger, Disney aims to invest $17 billion on Disney World over the next decade.
According to him, the investments would create 13,000 new Disney positions as well as thousands of other jobs, luring more people to the state and generating tax income.
After Iger’s statement, shareholders questioned the company’s position on the Florida law.
One stakeholder questioned if it was wise to take a political stance in order to placate a small group of people when the company’s primary goal is to provide entertainment.
Another person slammed Disney’s actions, saying:
“Disney has turned from a place of magic for children to an ideological company… increasingly promoting the woke agenda.”
Nonetheless, Bob Iger noted that doing what is best for employees is part of his responsibilities.
He stated that there are times when he feels compelled to weigh in on sensitive issues because of the importance of the staff, and other times when he believes it is best not to.
Bob Iger has indicated that he is sensitive to criticism and that the company develops agenda-driven content, although he has denied this.
“While I know we’re never going to please everybody all the time… I want parents to be able to trust the content we’re creating for their children, and we’re committed to creating age-appropriate content for family audiences.”
Image source: Hollywood Reporter
