In the last little while, Disney got into a spat with Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis over laws he and Legislature Republicans passed in the state. In response to the company’s criticism, the likely presidential candidate and his peers stripped the company of incentives to operate Disney World. However, Disney is rolling another grenade DeSantis’ way with an LGBTQ+ summit.
The Miami Herald is reporting today that the resort Walt built is gearing up for a gathering promoting LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace in the Orlando area in September. Executives from the world’s largest companies, as well as a number of professionals, will be in attendance. In addition to being the home this year for the Out & Equal organization’s gathering, they are also committing to hosting next year, which, perhaps in no coincidence, coincides with the closeness to the 2024 presidential election.
While DeSantis and Disney have not commented on the timing of the conferences as of this story’s filing, others involved in the kerfuffle between the titans have. Florida Republican State Rep. Randy Fine — who sponsored the bill last year to dissolve Disney’s self-governing district — told the Herald it did not bother him to see such a conference and it did not seem like a conspiracy move, as with such a big business being in the state, they need to be making money and so not hosting events would be a bit unsettling.
“I’m not willing to interpret it as some grand conspiracy to stick it in the eye of the state of Florida. Disney is part of the fabric of the Florida economy. … If they weren’t holding any conferences at Disney World, that would be news because that would be a big problem … there are two places where you can have a conference and increase attendance — Las Vegas and Orlando.”
The new system overseeing Disney’s district does also leave most of their special powers intact, in contrast to what DeSantis and other conservatives have claimed. They can still even tax themselves in order to pay off the debts the area has incurred over time. As for DeSantis, he is expected to announce a run for president after the Florida Legislature’s session ends in May. His fight with Disney will be a key talking point, and, if he does jump in, his back-and-forth with Trump promises to be especially bitter and nasty — even by today’s standards.