DESANTISLAND

Disney is once again giving money to anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans who passed the "Don't Say Gay" law

Nicholas Liu
Thu, June 13, 2024 

Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Castle AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Image
The Walt Disney Corporation, which runs a theme park fiefdom in Orlando and wields outsized clout in Florida politics, is once again donating money to state politicians after a two-year hiatus following the fallout over "Don't Say Gay" legislation.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the recipients include Republicans who supported the law that banned discussions about LGBTQ+ issues in public schools through third grade, even though the company, under pressure from its employees, previously opposed the measure, officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill.

Disney has now shelled out $87,000 in political donations, according to the most recent campaign filings, most of the money going to political committees connected with state lawmakers, including state Rep. Josie Tomkow, state Sen. Jason Brodeur and state Sen. Joe Gruters, all Republicans who voted for the "Don't Say Gay" legislation.


Disney did not respond to a request for comment.

Despite allegations from the right that it has aggressively promoted liberal causes, Disney did not initially take a public position on the "Don't Say Gay" law, sparking protests from its employees, who urged the company to use its political influence to protect LGBTQ+ workers and their families. In response, then-CEO Bob Chapek called the bill a "challenge to basic human rights," apologized to the employees for not taking action sooner and, beginning in March 2022, suspended Disney's political contributions.

Disney, until then one of the largest political contributors in Florida (giving $55 million over the past 28 years), also vowed to push for the law's repeal, provoking GOP lawmakers and Governor Ron DeSantis to deride it as a "woke corporation," hit back at the company with a law that stripped Disney of its special tax-exempt status, and even pass other measures to punish Disney employees.

Disney sued Florida, arguing that the state was infringing on its First Amendment rights. But the two sides eventually came to a settlement, opening up another round of negotiations over the development agreement between the company and a board appointed by DeSantis to oversee the Disney-run district that encompasses Walt Disney World. Disney, for its part, agreed to drop its two state lawsuits and put the brakes on a federal lawsuit.

Since then, Disney and DeSantis have enjoyed a détente of sorts, with DeSantis cooling his anti-Disney rhetoric and even floating a fifth Disney theme park in Florida. He also appointed his former legislative director, Stephanie Kopelousos, to lead the newly constituted Disney World’s Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), a move apparently designed to appease the company. Kopelousos previously helped insert an exemption for Disney into a 2021 bill pushed by DeSantis to crack down on Big Tech companies, although the exemption was later pulled after the Disney-DeSantis feud broke out.

Disney, which is anticipating a major, $60 billion expansion in its theme park operations in Florida and across the globe, reached an agreement with DeSantis on Wednesday night, which allows the company to invest $17 billion in planned development at Walt Disney World without interference for the next 15 years.

Moreover, Disney counts on the support of the state to maintain a privileged status that exempts them from a host of taxes, regulations and fees, and allows it to exercise the powers of an autonomous government, including the issuance of bonds and oversight of its own firefighters. Those, of course, are all on the table of ongoing negotiations over the development agreement.

Even before the donations were revealed, the company's potential reversal was previewed in a shareholder meeting in which a proposal to require the company to be more transparent about its donations was voted down. The vote was met with backlash from some shareholders, who feared that Disney might once again give money to Florida Republicans.

“We believe it’s time for Disney to provide accountability to shareholders that it is spending its political dollars wisely and in alignment with its core principles and interests,” Laura Nixon, an official from the Educational Foundation of America, a shareholder group that funds progressive causes, told Florida Politics. “In recent years, Disney contributed over $100,000 to an administration that took aim at Disney’s employees, mocked the company’s values at a national level and then punished Disney by diminishing its tax breaks and degree of self-governance.”



Disney's feud with DeSantis is over — and it's donating to Republicans again

Grace Eliza Goodwin,Lauren Edmonds
Updated Thu, June 13, 2024 


Disney is once again donating to politicians — just months after ending its feud with Ron DeSantis.


It's even donating to Florida Republicans who voted for the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill.


Disney executives' opposition of the bill sparked a yearslong conflict with DeSantis.

Since ending its feud with Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, Disney has wasted no time donating to Republicans again.

The Walt Disney Comany gave more than $87,000 worth of in-kind, or nonmonetary, donations to political committees, including Republican lawmakers, in the months of April and May, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

That's an about-face for the House of Mouse, which had paused political donations as it brawled with DeSantis.

The yearslong feud first started in 2022 when Disney executives publicly opposed DeSantis' bill — which has since been signed into law — that restricts discussions of gender and sexual orientation in classrooms.

Critics called the legislation the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

In response to its opposition, DeSantis grabbed control of the board that oversees Disney World's special tax district, renaming it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and replacing all of its board members with his own.

Disney, in turn, sued, arguing it was being politically targeted; DeSantis' board sued right back.

The legal back-and-forth finally ended in March when DeSantis' handpicked board agreed to settle the lawsuit brought by Disney.

Now, ironically, Disney is supporting some Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the so-called "Don't Say Gay," bill, the Sentinel reported.

That includes an in-kind donation worth more than $16,000 to Florida Farmers and Ranchers United, a group associated with Rep. Josie Tomkow, campaign-finance records show. Tomkow voted for the bill, officially called the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Disney also gave about $10,000 each to two committees affiliated with the Republican state senators Jason Brodeur and Joe Gruters, campaign-finance records show. Both state lawmakers also supported the controversial bill.

Though Disney has resumed in-kind donations, Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a Democrat, has said Disney headquarters has not yet approved monetary donations, the Sentinel reported.

Perhaps the most significant sign of a final détente between Disney and the DeSantis administration came Wednesday when the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved Disney's $17 billion development deal.

The deal allows Disney to spend billions on its Walt Disney World properties in the next 10 to 20 years, potentially on an expansion to build a fifth park.

Disney, in return, must award half of its related construction work to Florida-based businesses and spend $10 million on "attainable housing projects." The company must also donate 100 acres of its land to the tourism district.



Disney and DeSantis end conflict with deal on 15-year expansion plan

NY Post
Thu, June 13, 2024


Disney and DeSantis End Conflict , With Deal on 15-Year Expansion Plan. Disney and DeSantis End Conflict , With Deal on 15-Year Expansion Plan. Disney and the Florida governor have been at odds since 2022, when Disney's former CEO, Bob Chapek, criticized Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. Disney and the Florida governor have been at odds since 2022, when Disney's former CEO, Bob Chapek, criticized Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. From that point on, Gov. DeSantis seemed to do whatever he could to make it difficult for Disney to operate and expand in Florida. But the two parties have finally reached an agreement to end their feud, Reuters reports. . The Walt Disney World Resort will be allowed to continue development in the Orlando area for the next 15 years. The company said it would shell out at least $8 billion over 10 years, . and $17 billion over the next 10 to 20 years. . Disney will also grow its affordable housing initiative and make sure that at least half of its spending for the project goes to Florida businesses. Additionally, the company will be allowed to build another theme park, add more retail and office spaces... and expand its hotel rooms by about 14,000. Disney President Jeff Vahle issued a statement. This new development agreement paves the way for us to invest billions of dollars in Walt Disney World Resort, , Jeff Vahle, Disney president, via statement . ... supporting the growth of this global destination, fueling the Florida economy, and allowing us to deliver even more memorable and extraordinary experiences for our guests, Jeff Vahle, Disney president, via statement