Another salvo has been fired in the battle between the
Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Disney cited a study conducted by Oxford Economics, covering
the fiscal year 2022, that showed it provided a $40.3 billion impact to Central
Florida, where Walt Disney World is located, and is responsible for 263,000
jobs.
That, the company said, was before the governor disbanded
Disney’s self-governing oversight district last year and replaced it with
several self-appointed members in a new board.
Disney and DeSantis have conducted verbal warfare for almost
two years now, ever since the company publicly questioned the governor’s policy
on teaching gender identification to small children. It was dubbed the ‘don’t
say gay’ law.
The governor responded by stripping Disney of its
self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District and appointing his own
oversight committee.
Lawsuits are pending in both state and federal courts.
The company said that the 263,000 jobs are triple the
workforce at Disney World but include such ancillary things as contractors. The
study found that Disney is responsible for one in every eight jobs in Central
Florida.
While some people applaud the governor’s efforts in taking
on the entertainment giant, still others question his motivation for battling
the state’s biggest employer.
Disney said its free speech rights were violated and that
the governor acted in a retaliatory measure.
It was just in September that Disney CEO Bob Iger promised
to tone
down the feud with the governor.
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