Is Disney too big for DeSantis to beat?
A recent economic study released by Disney suggests Gov. Ron DeSantis picked a fight with the wrong entity.
The study reveals that the Walt Disney World Resort, in Orlando, brought over $40 billion in jobs, tourism, small business creation and tax revenue to Florida in fiscal 2022.
The report also found Disney supports 263,000 jobs in the state, not just through its 82,000 employees but through roughly 2,500 small businesses whose workers provide products and services to Disney.
The DeSantis feud with Disney started in 2022, when Disney was critical of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The legislation, which was backed by DeSantis, restricts how teachers talk about gender identity.
During a radio interview in Nikki Haley’s home state, South Carolina, DeSantis came down on his presidential rival for supporting a “woke corporation” and not criticizing Disney’s “sexualized curriculum.”
Disney has announced plans to spend $60 billion on its parks over the next decade. Perhaps we voters should elect a governor who will embrace, rather than belittle, corporations that are willing to make such investments in our state.
Shelley Klein