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“Continued War Against Disney Could Kill This State”: Outlet Slams DeSantis for Hurting State’s Economy

The coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s feud with the Walt Disney Company is slowing down. After a long, drawn-out back and forth with each side hitting out against the other—each time we thought one side had got the ultimate checkmate, the other would swoop in with a move that surprised us all. The most recent move on the part of both the Mouse House and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board (which replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District board) was the former suing DeSantis and the latter, with the board then counter-suing Disney in turn.

Magic Kingdom Disney World
Mickey Mouse and Friends at Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney

It’s been many long months following the suit, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be drawing to a close anytime soon. But what has been particularly striking is the criticism that has been levied at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his actions against Disney. Be it politicians, journalists, or fans, many have spoken out about what they feel is a disregard for Florida’s economy and the “real issues” the state and its people are facing—one specific example is the gas crisis in South Florida.

fans thrilled disney suing desantis
Disney CEO Bob Iger (left); Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (right)

However, one outlet recently slammed the Florida Governor for completely “undermining” Florida’s “non-diverse” economy. Writer Kartik Krishnaiyer of The Florida Squeeze labeled the Disney feud “performative theater” and posited that it would have a tangible impact on Florida’s economy. 

Krishnaiyer highlights how Florida once could have had a tech industry that rivaled California’s or Texas’s, but due to political leadership that was less interested in developing this sector, that changed—as the writer points out, the PC was invented by a Jacksonville native. However, over time, Florida’s economy became almost singularly dependent on tourism, and because of this, the Walt Disney Company choosing to make Orlando the home of the Walt Disney World Resort was a game changer for the state.

Tusker House Animal Kingdom
Tusker House, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park / Credit: Disney

Ultimately, the writer rests his case by pointing out that while Florida is home to other Theme Parks—think Legoland, Universal, and the like—he also calls to the fact that many other Parks came and went before Disney’s time, but none of them hold a candle to Disney. And while there are certainly some who have crunched numbers to prove that Universal has Disney beat, that is not entirely true just yet; “A direct correlation to Disney coming to the state exists to us becoming a more vibrant, commercially-successful place.”

The writer concludes, “A continued war against Disney could kill this state.”

Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

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