Florida State GOP Representative Spencer Roach said legislators have met twice to discuss repealing a statute that impacts how Disney can invest in its theme parks there. The move is retaliatory after the company and CEO Bob Chapek came out strongly against the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill just signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been lobbing criticism Disney’s way this week.
“Yesterday was the 2nd meeting in a week w/fellow legislators to discuss a repeal of the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which allows Disney to act as its own government,” including oversight of land use and environmental protections within the District, and [providing] essential public services such as regulation of the EPCOT building code and maintenance of roads. Roach continued, “If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County.”
Yesterday was the 2nd meeting in a week w/fellow legislators to discuss a repeal of the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which allows Disney to act as its own government. If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County. pic.twitter.com/6sj29Gj6Wz
— SpencerRoach (@SpencerRoachFL) March 30, 2022
The Parental Rights in Education (aka Don’t Say Gay) law — forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3. Chapek created a firestorm and walkouts among employees by not speaking out against it until it had already passed the legislature, then responding tepidly before voicing full throated opposition and committing to help overturn it. That provoked a counter-storm from DeSantis about how proud he is to be drawing a line in the sand against “woke” Disney.
Chapek’s shifting stance on this — following another public relations misstep last year in a legal tussle with star Scarlett Johansson and a number of controversial moves inside Disney — have caused some to question his ability to helm the giant company. His contract expires at the end of next year.
Disney is, of course, the largest employer in Florida and is set to become even more so. The company announced last year plans to move the bulk of its now Southern California-based jobs in its Parks, Experiences and Products Division — except those fully dedicated to Disneyland — to a new “regional campus” in Orlando. Initially, the new campus will be home to “more than 2,000 Cast, Imagineers and employees,” according to a letter from the division’s chairman, Josh D’Amaro, “driving further collaboration and creativity and allowing us to better integrate our business and functional teams.”
It is unclear whether repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement Act would change Disney’s plans to move that workforce, but it seems there is still a very long way to go before the act could be repealed.
