Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a law, which will take effect in June 2023, removing a favorable status enjoyed by the Disney World theme park, the entertainment giant having championed certain progressive themes not appreciated by elected Republicans. . The special status in the crosshairs of the text was granted to Disney at the time of the construction of the Disney World leisure site in the 1960s. It offered it a large autonomy of local management and exempted it from most of the regulations of the ‘State.
Relations between Mr. DeSantis and Disney soured recently after Bob Chapek, the CEO of Disney, spoke out publicly against a law promoted by the governor banning the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation or gender. gender identity in primary school.
This text is nicknamed by its opponents “Don’t say gay” (“Don’t talk about gays”).
Initially, Bob Chapek was reluctant to take a position on the text, according to a leaked internal memo. Disney employees then demonstrated against the group’s “apathy” and calls for a boycott began circulating on social media, eventually leading the CEO to come out against the law.
“You are a company headquartered in Burbank, California, and you are using your economic power to attack parents in my state. We consider this a provocation and we will fight against it”Mr. DeSantis said on Friday as he signed the text.
Disney’s theme park near Orlando is among the most visited in the world and the Disney brand remains a favorite with Americans.
With its special status, Disney guaranteed a number of essential public services such as garbage collection or water treatment, and some elected officials fear that revoking this status will result in a transfer of debt to local governments.