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Republican governor Ron DeSantis has called for Disney CEO Bob Iger to drop the company’s federal lawsuit against the state of Florida
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 18 Aug 2023
DeSantis told Last Call anchor Brian Sullivan that he had “moved on” from his 17-month feud with Disney Credit: Reuters
Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis has called on Disney CEO Bob Iger to drop the company’s federal lawsuit against the state, after declaring that he has “moved on” from his feud with the entertainment giant.
In an interview with CNBC’s Last Call anchor Brian Sullivan, DeSantis said that he’s not “anti-Disney” and that the company needed to accept the loss of its special Reedy Creek governing privileges.
“They’re suing the state of Florida. They’re going to lose that lawsuit, so what I would say is drop the lawsuit” DeSantis said.
“We’ve appreciated working with them over the years, but I would just say, go back to what you did well. I think it’s the right business decision.
“This is a great place to do business. Your competitors all do very well, Universal, SeaWorld. They have not had the same special privileges as you have.”
“All we want to do is treat everybody the same, and let’s move forward. I’m find with that. But I’m not fine with giving extraordinary privileges to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else,” DeSantis added.
The news comes after Disney’s parks and experiences division reported a 13% increase in revenue, to US$8.3bn (€7.6bn, £6.5bn), for the third quarter of 2023, despite reporting lower guest attendance at the Disney World resort in Florida, US. SeaWorld, meanwhile, reported a 1.7% loss, for the same period, attributing the decrease to lower park attendance.
The move is the latest development in a 17-month feud between the governor and the entertainment giant. The feud began in March 2022, after the company suspended political donations in Florida following public pressure in response to the state’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which prevents teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ people and issues in schools.
Since then the feud has seen Disney and DeSantis file lawsuits against each other after DeSantis took control of Disney World’s special governing district. In response, Disney invoked the Royal Lives Clause to strip the DeSantis-appointed board of its powers.
The feud has also seen Disney scrap plans for a US$1bn (€920m, £790m) corporate campus in Lake Nono, Florida, while DeSantis has previously sought to dismiss the Disney lawsuit by claiming “legislative immunity.”
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