Amid a bitter dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, entertainment giant Disney has canceled plans to build a major new employee complex in the state. In the face of "significant changes" including "changing business conditions," the project in the greater Orlando area will be abandoned, top executive in charge of Disney's theme parks, Josh D'Amaro, said in a memo to employees on Thursday. "It wasn't an easy decision, but I think it's the right one."
Disney actually wanted to build a new so-called campus in Orlando's Lake Nona district, not far from the Disney World amusement park. 2000,<> employees from the state of California, where Disney has its headquarters, were to be sent there to live and work. The project was not without controversy, partly because some employees did not want to move from California to Florida.
Controversy over "Don't Say Gay" law
D'Amaro has now announced the end of the project. In addition to the "changing terms and conditions," he also referred to the change at the top of the entertainment giant. In November, long-time Disney boss Bob Iger returned to the helm of the company and replaced his successor Bob Chapek.
The cancellation of the campus project comes amid a fierce dispute with Governor DeSantis, which was ignited by a law in Florida that was criticized as homophobic. Last year, the arch-conservative politician and potential presidential candidate passed a law that prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in the first three years of primary school. Critics refer to the law, which has since been extended to all grades, as the "Don't Say Gay" law.
Then-Disney CEO Chapek also criticized the law last year, halting all political donations from his Florida company. DeSantis reacted angrily - and had Florida's legislature pass a law that severely restricts the self-governing status of "Disney World". In the dispute, Disney went to court in April and sued DeSantis.
The Republican governor is taking a sharply right-wing course in Florida and attacking, among other things, an alleged left-wing "woke" ideology among Democrats, institutions and companies. Observers expect the 44-year-old to announce his entry into the presidential race next week.
DeSantis is considered the most dangerous intra-party rival of ex-President Donald Trump in the competition for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2024 election. In polls, however, Trump is far ahead of DeSantis.