Whereas the lawsuit introduced by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Inc. in opposition to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his handpicked oversight board got here as a shock to many, the defendants apparently noticed it coming. Again in March, that board — the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District supervisors — reportedly lawyered up.
Then in a shareholders assembly this month, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger reiterated that “the corporate has a proper to freedom of speech identical to people do.” Some extent, thoughts you, that Republicans applauded again in 2010 after the disastrous Residents United ruling by the Supreme Courtroom that gave us elevated spending in politics and “companies are individuals too.”
Opinion Columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about tradition, politics, sports activities and navigating life in America.
Now Disney has filed a lawsuit staking a declare for its rights, and we’re about to be taught rather a lot about DeSantis.
Whether or not he directs the state to settle this case earlier than it escalates additional will inform us simply how a lot DeSantis is keen to step on the backs of Floridians in his try to succeed in the White Home.
That’s what this Disney factor is all about.
Not the “don’t say homosexual” invoice that led Disney to talk out in opposition to the governor final 12 months. It’s not about parental rights or drag queens studying at libraries. That is about DeSantis attempting to develop into the Brutus to Donald Trump’s Julius Caesar. If DeSantis does announce a 2024 bid, his battle with “The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism” (his phrases, not mine) goes to be a part of his marketing campaign. Are Floridians OK with that? In any case, they’re going to foot the invoice for it.
“That’s going to price us cash,” Martin Garcia of the oversight board mentioned lately of squabbling with Disney. “We’re going to have to boost taxes to pay for that.”
All as a result of Disney mentioned it disagreed with the state’s new anti-LGBTQ+ regulation? No. That’s DeSantis’ rivalry, however the timeline tells a unique story.
It wasn’t that way back when DeSantis was reaching out to Florida’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood — being a governor for all Floridians.
In June 2019, DeSantis and his spouse appeared on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando to mark the anniversary of the lethal 2016 capturing rampage there. They had been approached by a state consultant who expressed disappointment that the DeSantises’ proclamation about “Pulse Remembrance Day” hadn’t particularly talked about the queer or Hispanic communities. And you already know what the governor did? He corrected the omission, later tweeting: “immediately Casey DeSantis and I joined the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities in Orlando to pay our respects as our state and nation mourn and honor the valuable lives that had been misplaced.”
In 2018, throughout a Republican major discussion board as he sought the governorship, DeSantis was requested about transgender individuals and the restroom debate in lots of states, and he mentioned: “Moving into the lavatory wars, I don’t assume that’s a superb use of our time.”
Certainly.
What modified? His ambitions. And so they modified on Sept. 20, 2019.
That’s when then-Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi initiated impeachment proceedings in opposition to Trump, and all of the sudden DeSantis noticed a path to the White Home opening forward of him. The governor we see immediately is a product of that new ambition. So is his battle on LGBTQ+ individuals and his fixation with Disney as their defender.
I wonder if Floridians, who reelected DeSantis lower than a 12 months in the past, are hungry for tax {dollars} to be spent combating the largest single-site employer within the nation. (By the way, the father or mother firm of Walt Disney Resorts can be the father or mother of ABC, the place I’m a contributor and podcast host.)
Floridians is likely to be particularly cautious of financing this as a result of their governor is seemingly auditioning for his subsequent job — in Washington. That’s the true head-scratcher in all of this.
Whether or not DeSantis decides to run for the White Home in 2024 or not, he’s not eligible to run for a 3rd consecutive time period as governor. Which means he received’t have to instantly reply to voters for the ramifications of his battle with Mickey Mouse.
“If Disney desires to choose a battle, they selected the incorrect man,” DeSantis wrote in a fundraising e mail.
He can’t run for governor anytime quickly, so what’s his fundraising for, I ponder? We all know what it’s not for: authorized charges within the Disney lawsuit. That invoice will land on the taxpayers of Florida.
