A new report from Variety does an apt job of framing what has happened since Disney CEO Bob Chapek initially choose to stay silent on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and how the fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has left the company weakened compared to its historical standing in the state.
In the report, Variety goes through public documents to discover that the most likely scenario of the DeSantis bill to dismantle the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) is a successor agency that will include members from the political sphere that will have a say in how the district is run. According to the report, two state officials were sent to Orlando to be presented with a PowerPoint by the Reedy Creek Improvement District that outlined the district’s responsibilities. It was reported that DeSantis signed the bill to dismantle the district without any plan on how to replace it, but that a plan has been formed to create a new district that will come with some cosmetic changes (perhaps a renaming as well), but will leave RCID largely unchanged.
Also at hand is the fact that Disney has largely gone silent after Chapek promised more action in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. Disney reportedly has 38 lobbyists under its control, but the report details how Disney simply doesn’t hold as much power as it once did. Even less so, perhaps, after halting donations that would typically ignore the political aisle. DeSantis is currently favored to win reelection as Florida Governor, and the Variety report notes that Disney’s strategy of waiting him out simply might not be viable any longer. Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics, says that Disney likely has “a decade of problems” stemming from the fight with DeSantis over the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The road to dismantling the Reedy Creek Improvement District is a winding one, but one that started essentially out of retaliation by DeSantis after he and Disney butted heads over the “Don’t Say Gay” law earlier this year. Here’s a timeline of the fallout:
March 2022
- March 7th – Disney CEO Bob Chapek sends out a company-wide email that says that Disney will not denounce the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and that the company will essentially try to stay out of politics.
- March 9th – Disney CEO Bob Chapek attempts to walk back his email, saying that the company has been “opposed to the bill from the outset”.
- March 10th – The Human Rights Organization rejects Disney’s donation
- March 11th – Disney CEO Bob Chapek sends a company-wide email apologizing for lack of action and advocacy on “Don’t Say Gay” bill
- March 22nd – Hundreds of Disney employees participate in a walkout at Disney Headquarters over the company’s initial apathy over “Don’t Say Gay” bill
- March 28th – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs “Don’t Say Gay” into law, Disney responds
- March 30th – Florida lawmakers begin floating the idea of dismantling the Reedy Creek Improvement District in retaliation for Disney’s support of LGBTQIA+ communities
April
- April 20th – Florida Senate passes bill to dismantle the Reedy Creek Improvement District
- April 22nd – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs bill to dismantle Reedy Creek Improvement District
May
- May 2nd – DeSantis is said to want to create his own “Lake Buena Vista District” in place of the Reedy Creek Improvement District
- May 16th – DeSantis says that he’ll make Disney pay an outstanding RCID debt of $1 billion despite no laws requiring Disney to do so
August
- August 23rd – In a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the state, DeSantis’ lawyers argue the RCID dissolution might not happen
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
Had they just stopped at March 7 (or just never said anything)- the only thing in that list that would/could have happened is the March 22nd walkouts.
Why these companies dip their toes into the twitter mob is beyond me. Whatever they could possibly do is never enough for the activists (on either side of the aisle). While the average person (the 80-90%) simply doesn’t care yet they risk alienating and allowing politicians and activists to politicize them.
So short sighted and dumb.