With Disney on One Side and DeSantis on the Other, Florida Businesses Walk a Tightrope

We don’t know how the feud between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will end. But while it is still going on, there is the possibility of real damage being done to the economy of central Florida.

Just last month, several Disney Springs and local business owners spoke out at a Central Florida Tourism Oversight District meeting, voicing their concern about higher taxes to pay for maintenance in the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. These business owners have legitimate concerns that municipal services like water and sewer, which were once taken care of by Walt Disney World through Reedy Creek, will cost them money through higher taxes.

While all this has happened, the state’s largest business lobbying group has remained notably silent. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has tried to stay neutral in this fight between Governor DeSantis and Walt Disney World, the state’s largest employer.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has deep ties with Florida lawmakers and the Walt Disney World Resort. Last month, the Chamber sent a press release boasting Disney’s $100,000 donation to STEM education in Central Florida. The release highlights Disney executive Rena Langley, also a member of the Chamber’s board.

Former Republican Congressman David Jolly told CNBC: 

The entire business and lobbying class are allies of both DeSantis and Disney. The chamber’s political division is probably the premier ally of the state GOP in producing polling and research in low-dollar state House seats, and also mobilizes soft dollars around state legislative races.

The Chamber of Commerce, which lobbies state legislatures in Tallahassee, has not lobbied for or against any recent bills passed to restrict Disney World’s operations. It is an unusual move for a group that advocated for the passage of several bills during this year’s legislative session.

While the Chamber has deep ties with Disney, it also has a deep financial interest in DeSantis’ future. In his first run for Florida governor, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, he donated $345,000 to the Friends of DeSantis PAC. That amount does not include individual donations to the PAC from members of the Chamber of Commerce’s board.

Related: Disney Busting Out ‘Legal Legend’ for Battle with DeSantis

Former Chamber Board Member H. Wayne Huizenga Jr. donated $150,000 to DeSantis’ PAC in 2022. Huizenga’s father was the former owner of Blockbuster Video, the Miami Dolphins, the Miami Marlins, and the Florida Panthers. Other Chamber of Commerce Board members donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to DeSantis’ campaign.

For now, it appears that Florida’s most prominent business lobbying group does not want to alienate Florida Gov DeSantis or anyone at the Walt Disney Company, so it continues to sit on the bench. It remains to be seen for how long with the lawsuits between the two sides headed to federal court and the future of Disney Parks on the line.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.