Florida Governor and 2024 Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis is mired in a political rivalry with one of the most successful and admired entertainment corporations in the world: Disney.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1967, the Walt Disney Company was given a special tax status in the Orange and Osceola counties of Florida which ultimately allowed Disney to operate as its own local government. The company saved millions of dollars through tax reductions in exchange for maintaining water, electrical and waste facilities, as well as paying for medical and fire services. However, after more than 55 years of breaks, Governor DeSantis decided to limit Disney\u2019s ability to self-govern after what is really a battle over Disney being \u201ctoo gay friendly a place.\u201d DeSantis, who is positioning himself on the hard right, and Disney, are in a public dispute over the DeSantis\u2019 Parental Rights Bill, more widely known as \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay,\u201d which essentially bans in-class discussions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade. Disney\u2019s public objection to the legislation led people to conclude that his treatment of Disney appeared to be a retaliation against them, a weaponizing of gubernatorial powers to harm companies that exercised their First Amendment right of free speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many Americans have been following DeSantis, especially since he recently announced his presidential campaign bid on Twitter and will, therefore, go against Trump for the upcoming Republican nomination. He has proven to be a politician unafraid to push back against powerful corporations, and opinions on DeSantis vary widely depending on one\u2019s political opinions and priorities. However, here at Fieldston, many students and faculty tend to view DeSantis as \u201cdespicable\u201d and a political figure \u201cworse than Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to note that while many Republican politicians agree with DeSantis\u2019s campaigns on \u201cending wokeness,\u201d even they disagree with his attack on Disney, an epicenter of tourism in Florida which brings in more than 58 million people yearly, according to a 2019 study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditional conservative values include historically limited government interference in exchange for freedom of the individual or corporation, so it seems out of character for DeSantis, an extreme conservative, to attack a company with targeted legislation. This leads most to believe that DeSantis enacted the law as a personal revenge; dozens of articles headlined this as an act of war. Without the backdrop of the Parental Rights dispute, DeSantis\u2019s desire to reverse decades-old legislation may have received some support from conservatives given its unique benefit for a single company. However, DeSantis has now lost the support of many conservatives nationally over this issue and it has harmed his presidential aspirations. The question that should be asked in isolation is whether or not Disney\u2019s special tax status is appropriate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1967, the Florida legislature created a special district called Reedy Creek Improvement District, to support the development of Walt Disney World. This legislation has resulted in what is now the largest generator of tourism dollars for the state, Disney being the largest single tax payer in the state and employment for more than 75,000 people. By all accounts, this has been a wildly successful partnership between the state of Florida and Disney. This is also not entirely unique, as state and local governments frequently provide special treatment to sports team owners \u2014 for example, when they build new stadiums with major tax breaks. In these situations, the government has weighed the benefits of employment and economic impact of keeping a team in their city or state vs. losing the team to another city. It is undeniable that Desantis\u2019s actions were not in favor of the state of Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Upper School History teacher Dr. Paul Heideman, DeSantis purposefully takes steps to create polarized political opinions. Heideman mentioned that he believes DeSantis is an inferior version of Trump because \u201cTrump is good at being polarizing in a way that is entertaining and that people want to watch, with DeSantis the bullying mean-spirited part\u2026\u201d He also adds that it was not in DeSantis\u2019 best interest to \u201cpick a kind of pointless fight with one of the biggest employers in your state and it seems like he\u2019s done so in a particularly legally sloppy way.\u201d Fieldston History teacher Dr. Jonah Birch similarly states that: \u201cgoing to war with one of the largest businesses in your state seems really dumb to me at a purely strategic level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having followed the same tax policy for years, the sudden necessity for change suspiciously appeared not long after Disney spoke out against the Parental Rights Bill, releasing a statement on March 28, declaring they would see it through and that the law would be \u201crepealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts.\u201d Heideman echoes that idea, confidently declaring that DeSantis\u2019 laws \u201cseem pretty clearly retribution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of Fieldston\u2019s students have similar opinions when it comes to DeSantis. Form III student Alexander Bello states, \u201cThe idea that [DeSantis] might be our next president is terrifying and disheartening as an American person\u2026Every platform he has is based on hate, fear and ignorance.\u201d Bello further states that he feels DeSantis is currently a threat because of his overwhelming popularity and successful ability to achieve his goals. Despite an acknowledgment of limited knowledge of the specifics of the Disney vs. DeSantis lawsuit, Bello declared without a doubt that DeSantis\u2019 laws and the placing of taxes on Disney were solely due to their denunciation of the Parental Rights Bill otherwise known as \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alexander Goodman, another Form III student, agreed that DeSantis is a major threat, even more so than Donald Trump. Goodman voiced, \u201cHe\u2019s definitely maximized the power of the governor’s office beyond what it should ever be. I think that makes him a very dangerous guy\u2026\u201d Still, with the belief that DeSantis\u2019 attack was ultimately a form of retaliation, Goodman acknowledges the true issue behind Disney\u2019s situation. \u201cI feel like what Disney was doing was on shaky ground but they had a contract\u2026Disney had all the proper documentation in place,\u201d said Goodman. While he felt that Disney\u2019s special treatment was questionable, DeSantis\u2019 excuse for pursuing the cause was unprofessional. Goodman states that \u201c[DeSantis] should not have started things with Disney. I feel like there was no need for the uproar that he caused.\u201d On a related note, Birch adds, \u201cHe\u2019s so stupid for taking on such a large company over something he\u2019s not going to get a lot of sympathy on among a very broad swath of the population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voters need to determine whether the governor was potentially using the law as retribution against any one person or company for speaking up against something he supports and whether or not that is appropriate in a democracy. Republican voters will certainly take DeSantis\u2019 Disney decisions into consideration in 2024, when they determine whether or not they support DeSantis\u2019 approach to governing over the alternatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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