Disney CEO B Bob Chapek went on all-in siding with his woke employees in Florida who opposed the HB 1557 bill, which has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill even though the word gay isn’t in the bill.
It was a risky move that could give Chapek some problems with his board of directors. Here’s how.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked Florida lawmakers to consider revoking the Randy Creek Improvement District where Disney World sits in Orlando. IT’s a special district, created in 1967 thanks to a hard-core lobbying campaign by Walt Disney himself. The district essentially has given Disney free reign to build new structures on its property without getting local approval from the country or state.
Randy Creek collects property taxes and issues bonds on its own. If this district were dissolved, as many in Florida’s legislature want it to be, local governments would have to service Disney’s parks and provide other services Disney currently does. The other question is what happens to the 400+ employees who service the park.
The bill that would dissolve Disney World’s special government agency in Florida is called HB 3C. Randy Find is its sponsor, and he told a website called Florida Politics this.
“When you poke the bear, or you kick the bees’ nest, sometimes issues come out.”
The bill was discussed in the Florida legislature, and there was a contentious debate on both sides.
Here’s what Democratic Representative Dotie Joseph said.
“Punishing a company for daring to speak against a Governor’s radical right political agenda is precisely the kind of thing that we see in countries like Russia and China.”
Jackie Toledo, a Republican from Tampa, added this.
“Once upon a time Disney was a great partner for the state of Florida. … Shamefully, Disney betrayed us. The company that Walt Disney started, which was a beacon of family values, has now been perverted by a woke mob of liberal extremists into a laboratory of gender identity social experimentation, in which our children are guinea pigs.”
A special session is being called, and the bill could be voted on soon.
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