A lot of so-called woke companies do business in Florida but the state's governor, Ron DeSantis, has focused his anti-woke crusade on only one of them: Walt Disney.
Starbucks (SBUX), often a target of right-wing activists for a variety of reasons, has more than 840 locations in the state. Target (TGT), which has angered some conservatives with its bathroom policies and recently has faced criticism over its LGBTQ+ merchandise, has more than 120 locations in Florida.
Both those companies, along with 319 others, signed a petition from the Human Rights Campaign that broadly condemns anti-LGBTQ legislation. And while the petition is roughly two years old, Starbucks and Target signed it in March 2023, as opposition to DeSantis's so-called Don't Say Gay legislation grew in the business community.
In fact, when Starbucks and Target signed, they were joined by a number of companies that do business in DeSantis's state. These include many travel companies with massive Florida footprints: Airbnb, American Airlines, Comcast (owner of Universal Studios Florida), Hyatt Hotels, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Lyft, Marriott International, Tripadvisor, Uber, United Airlines, and of course, Walt Disney (DIS).
All these companies put their brand names on a statement that condemned the exact kind of legislation that DeSantis has championed. That's clear when you read this small excerpt from the petition (boldface in original):
We are deeply concerned by the bills being introduced in state houses across the country that single out LGBTQ individuals - many specifically targeting transgender youth - for exclusion or differential treatment. Laws that would affect access to medical care for transgender people, parental rights, social and family services, student sports, or access to public facilities such as restrooms, unnecessarily and uncharitably single out already marginalized groups for additional disadvantage. They seek to put the authority of state government behind discrimination and promote mistreatment of a targeted LGBTQ population.
The difference in DeSantis's verbal and political attacks on Disney versus his noncomment on every other supposedly woke company signing a petition in direct opposition to his policies is that Disney called out the governor directly.
For Disney, It's All About Business
Disney has been blunt in its messages to DeSantis. CEO Bob Iger has been direct in his comments, addressing the company's position during its second-quarter-earnings call
The CEO pointed out that Disney's Reedy Creek Special District wasn't unique; it's one of more than 2,000 in the state. He made clear that the company fully believes that DeSantis was retaliating because former Disney CEO Bob Chapek directly made comments calling out DeSantis's legislation.
"Regarding Florida, I have got a few things I want to say about that. First of all, I think the case that we filed last month made our position and the facts very clear and that is really that this is about one thing and one thing only and that is retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in us taking that position we are merely exercising our right to free speech," Iger said.
Disney's CEO later also made clear that the entertainment giant had a lot of leverage to use here.
"We have a huge opportunity to continue to invest in Florida. I noted that our plans are to invest $17 billion over the next 10 years, which is what the state should want us to do," he said.
Those statements came right before the company canceled plans to spend $1 billion on a new headquarters near its Orlando theme park complex.
DeSantis Keeps It Political
Iger has tried to very clearly lay out that Disney is a good citizen in Florida that just happens to disagree with the governor on a key issue.
"We operate responsibly. We pay our fair share of taxes. We employ thousands of people, and by the way, we pay them above the minimum wage, substantially above the minimum wage dictated by the state of Florida. We also provide them with great benefits and free education, so I’m gonna finish what is obviously kind of a long answer by asking one question. Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people and pay more taxes or not?" he added.
DeSantis has cast doubt on whether Disney actually ever intended to build the headquarters project, which is a fair statement given that the company has cut some of its planned capital expenditures.
The governor, however, has not been willing to back off his criticism of the company and has made clear that he had no intention of doing so, in comments reported by BlogMickey.com.
"…[Disney] can do whatever they want, I know people try to chirp and say this or that, but the chance of us backing down from that is zero," the governor said.
Both Walt Disney and the state of Florida have filed lawsuits against each other regarding DeSantis's efforts to take over Reedy Creek, which would give his handpicked board control over future Disney construction projects.
