Disney is learning the hard way, that diving into the deep end of Florida state politics, is equivalent to poking the bear, and will not be tolerated. It was reported that because Bob Chapek was out, and Bob Iger was back in, that Ron DeSantis would make a u-turn on taking away Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District’s exclusive autonomy it enjoys. An exclusive autonomy, that theoretically allows Disney to do as it pleases regardless of county and state laws and regulations. In other words, if Disney wanted to build a nuclear plant on its property, it could. That’s an extreme example, but you get the point. No other companies in Florida or the rest of the country, for that matter, enjoy such freedom and privileges. Losing that benefit, would cost Disney more than just money, but the freedom of exclusivity. Governor Ron DeSantis put those rumors to rest when his deputy press secretary stated that the governor does not make u-turns. This has got to be bad news for CEO Bob Iger, who was probably counting on some kind of win to bolster his newly re-minted stewardship of the Disney company. Bob Iger is walking back into a financial mess that he created, in which he’s trying to navigate and protect his image and legacy. With failures at the box office, on Disney Plus, at the parks, and now a potential loss with the Reedy Creek Improvement District, that would cost the Disney Company billions, Bob Iger is in for a tough 2 years that might actually see him coming out as one of the worse CEO’s in Disney’s history.
Governor Ron DeSantis is not Making Any Kind of U-Turn
It was reported on Friday by the financial times, that Florida lawmakers were working on legislation that would allow Disney to keep its autonomy over the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This special tax status was revoked earlier this year, when Disney decided to enter the political arena, and chastise Florida for its Parental Rights in Education bill, which made it illegal to teach kids 9 and younger about explicit sexual topics, including those that had LGBTQ themes. The LGBTQ community became enraged and basically forced Disney to come out against it in a very public way. Governor Ron DeSantis wasn’t having any of it, and decided to pull the special tax status that Disney has enjoyed since 1967. A tax status, which basically gave them the autonomy to do whatever they wanted in Disney World and their surrounding properties, without fear of being held accountable by laws and regulations that other businesses in the state have to abide by. Governor Ron DeSantis made his stance very clear on Disney’s special tax status they enjoy through his deputy press secretary.
“Governor DeSantis does not make “U-turns.” The governor was right to champion removing the extraordinary benefit given to one company through the Reedy Creek Improvement District. We will have an even playing field for businesses in Florida, and the state certainly owes no special favors to one company. Disney’s debts will not fall on the taxpayers of Florida. A plan is in the works and will be released soon.”
EXCLUSIVE: I have obtained video from returning Disney CEO Bob Iger's first town hall with employees, in which he signals that he will work to "quiet things down" politically and move toward neutrality in the culture war.https://t.co/ZBGdHhxFVS pic.twitter.com/ZbMCZN4MlG
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) November 29, 2022
In response to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" legislation, Iger said Disney would still promote "inclusion," but suggested that the company must strike a "delicate balance" and "listen to [its] audience" and "have respect for the people that [it's] serving." This is a retreat. pic.twitter.com/bZBnQdm616
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) November 29, 2022
Related: Bob Iger’s Coup D’Etat
Disney is Making Their Brand Toxic to Fans
It looks like Bob Iger is going to lose the special tax status and autonomy Disney has enjoyed in Florida, not to mention billions of dollars of debt that Disney will be strapped with as a result. All because Bob Iger, when he was in charge the first time, thought it would be magical to hire activists in the company to oversee their content. Content, that in the last few years, has been overtly imbued with leftist political overtones that have put a very foul taste in fans’ mouths. From race and gender swapping just about every white male hero in the MCU in phase 4, destroying and belittling our original heroes from the Star Wars franchise because The Force is female, to movies like ‘Lightyear’ and ‘Strange World’ laced with LGBTQ themes that parents are not interested in having their little children watch, to making their parks more and more gender neutral to bend the knee to 5% of the population, Disney, to many fans, has become the most toxic brand on the planet. It’s going to take more than a past CEO who started Disney on this trajectory, to fix what ails the Disney Company. Bob Iger was not the solution, but just an affirmation of the direction Disney wants to continue. Bob Iger even said it himself at a town hall meeting, in which he discussed the Reedy Creek Improvement District and politics in the company, that pretty much summed up, albeit very elusively from Iger, the political direction Iger is going to take.
“I was sorry to see us dragged into that battle, and I have no idea what its ramifications are in terms of the business itself. What I can say is that the state of Florida has been very important to us for a long time and that we have been very important to the state of Florida. That is something that I’m extremely mindful of and will articulate if I have the chance, but I don’t have the details at all yet about what the ramifications are of the decision that was made by the state of Florida and whether we intend to do anything about it”.
“I think there’s a misperception here about what politics is. Some of the subjects that have been proven to be controversial as it relates to Disney have been branded political, and I don’t think they are.”
“When you tell stories, there’s a delicate balance. You’re talking to an audience, but it’s also important to listen to an audience. It’s important to have respect for the people you are serving, that you are trying to reach and not have disdain from. We’re not going to make everyone happy all the time, and we’re not going to try to. We’re certainly not going to lessen our core values in order to make everyone happy all the time.”
It sounds to me like Bob is going to stay the course.
