Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has responded to Disney cancelling their Lake Nona move.
Earlier today, Disney announced that they are cancelling the relocation of Walt Disney Imagineers from California to Florida.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has now responded to the announcement. He released a statement on Disney’s cancellation of the Lake Nona relocation:
“Disney announced the possibility of a Lake Nona campus nearly 2 years ago. Nothing ever came of the project, and the state was unsure whether it would come to fruition. Given the company’s financial straits, falling market cap, and declining stock price, it is unsurprising that they would restructure their business operations and cancel unsuccessful ventures.”
Disney has not yet responded.
The cancellation comes amidst the ongoing battle between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney has simply cited “changing business conditions” as the reason for the cancellation. The rather polite language used in the announcement may be due to the pending litigation between Disney and the Florida Governor.
This is a developing story; we will update this article as more information comes in.
What do you think about the cancellation of the Lake Nona move? Let us know in the comments.
The Disney vs DeSantis Saga
The Florida Governor and Walt Disney Company initially clashed over the corporation’s opposition to a much-debated and controversial Florida law regarding classroom instruction and discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, alongside various other recent state laws and proposals in a similar vein.
Bob Chapek was Chief Executive Officer at the time and initially remained silent and passive on the issue — until massive internal criticisms from cast members and controversy over Disney’s practice of making hefty political contributions to campaigns and individuals allegedly against their own stated human principles came into focus.
In an apparent act of retribution over Chapek’s expression of dissent, the Governor moved forward with various verbal and legal assaults on Disney, including the attempted dissolution of Reedy Creek and the eventual transfer of power directly under his control. DeSantis argues he is attacking a rather vague perception of something he calls “woke politics,” invading the state. He further says he aims to put the people of Florida first through his actions.
The Governor insists he will double down on efforts to punish the resort through methods both in the Legislature and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board. Notably, he promised to hike hotel taxes and institute tolls on the roads around Walt Disney World Resort property. He also threatened to build a prison on Walt Disney World land and signed a bill into law requiring state inspections of Monorails.
A recent poll showed Americans are mostly split about whether or not Disney and Governor DeSantis have behaved “appropriately,” but think the court should rule in Disney’s favor.
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