Ever since the feud between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began, both parties have been going back and forth to gain the upper hand. Each time one side pulled what many thought would be the final “checkmate,” the other would return with renewed vigor with a new move that shocked many. Earlier this year, after Governor Ron DeSantis dissolved the board for the Reedy Creek Improvement District and put in place his hand-picked board of the newly-minted Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Disney came back with an ingenious move that voided much of the power the board held with their “King Charles clause”—invoking King Charles III and his heirs to protect their self-governing status.
Related: “This is the Way!”: DeSantis May Be Mad, But Fans Are Thrilled With Disney’s Latest “Anti-Hero” Move
Disney Sues Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
This, however, did not go down well with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who then fought back with legal action. The CFTOD board recently voided the agreement that Disney signed, despite many small businesses speaking out against this, and mere moments after the resolution passed, Disney filed paperwork to sue the Governor of the Sunshine State.
The move has been making headlines since its announcement, and many politicians, analysts, and fans have spoken out about it—many supporting the Mouse House. While this was happening, many states threw their hat in the ring, inviting Disney to take residence in their state. From Texas to North Carolina, many states have invited Disney (and it’s unsurprising considering the Walt Disney World Resort’s enormous economic impact).
Now, one more state has done the same.
Hey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida.
We’ve got great weather, great people, and it’s always a great day in South Carolina!
SC’s not woke, but we’re not sanctimonious about it either. pic.twitter.com/uf1PWQjGc5
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 26, 2023
Related: Watch Your Back Florida, Another State is Eyeing a Disney World Move
Former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley Throws the State’s Hat in the Ring
Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina, is the latest in the line, calling Disney to her home state. She told Fox News that she took a “double-digit unemployment state and turned it into an economic powerhouse,” further going on to explain that “businesses were my partners because if you take care of your businesses, you take care of your economy, your economy takes care of the people, and everyone wins.”
Haley clarified that South Carolina was and continues to be an “anti-woke” state, and if Disney “would like to move their hundreds and thousands of jobs to South Carolina” and “bring their billions of dollars,” she would be “happy to meet them” and “introduce them to the governor and the legislature that would welcome it.”
Haley added in a later tweet that “We’ve got great weather, great people, and it’s always a great day in South Carolina!”
However, fans in the comments were thoroughly unimpressed with former Governor Nikki Haley’s take:
Major Fail Nikki. 👎
— TheSadieGrey (@DAndalora_Bella) April 27, 2023
Another accused the former Governor of trying to score “political points”:
This is a very bad take, Governor.
Disney has done nothing but move in bad faith towards wokeness and child grooming. There’s a bad message in their movies nowadays towards trying to indoctrinate our kids. DeSantis was completely correct in fighting them.
You’re trying to score…
— Zeek Arkham 🇺🇸 (@ZeekArkham) April 26, 2023
Disney has made no official statement on moving, rather it has maintained (so far) Florida is the state it would like to find itself in; but there are certainly many who would be happy to have Disney make its home there if Governor Ron DeSantis or the Walt Disney Company ever decide they are done with that long relationship.