
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.
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.
However, one outlet recently slammed the Florida Governor for completely “undermining” Florida’s “non-diverse” economy. Writer
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.
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.”