I can’t be the only one sick to death of the peeing match between Bob Iger and Ron DeSantis. But here we are yet again. Last week Florida Governor DeSantis was given a bill by the Florida House and Senate that would nullify Disney’s agreement with Reedy Creek. Given the nature of the deal, it’s easy to see why many felt it was “self-dealing.” Now Disney is again coming back, this time to expand their lawsuit.
Now Disney is saying that the Governor, and anyone who doesn’t side with Disney in power, is picking on them.
“Governor DeSantis and his allies have no apparent intent to moderate their retaliatory campaign any time soon.” Again asking for the bills they don’t like to be canceled and for Disney to be given back all its special privileges and statuses. This includes the new bill that allows the nullification of their alleged “self-dealing” contracts.
The situation gets more ridiculous by the day.
What it boils down to is Disney not wanting to lose its power. They could do pretty much whatever they wanted when they wanted. Now they are being put in the same position Disneyland and some of their other parks are in. That’s their problem. They don’t want to be in that position.
I see reason to be concerned on both sides. The Governor did seem to remove the Reedy Creek Improvement District for political reasons. However, it should have been removed years ago. Disney is a company and should not have the power to dictate the law.
Bob Iger told people, including citizens of Florida, that they were “anti-business” or “anti-Florida” if they agreed that Walt Disney World should not get special power over other businesses. Which was not only overstepping; it came across as arrogant. But then, so were his comments that seemed to imply Disney should get special treatment because of the amount of taxes they pay (not including all the ones they sue to not pay.)
Either way, don’t expect this to resolve anytime soon. Disney will keep throwing money at the problem until they get their way. It’s what they do. DeSantis will not stop because he wants to run for President and make an example of Disney. The rest of us will just have to suffer through it.
Source: CNBC
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.