The trouble began last year when Florida Republicans advanced a proposal critics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” policy. Disney, a powerhouse in the Sunshine State and Florida’s largest private employer, eventually criticized the GOP’s anti-LGBTQ measure.
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t just disagree with the company’s opinion, he set out to punish Disney for daring to issue mild and inconsequential criticisms of a measure he signed into law.
The Republican initially planned to revoke Disney World’s designation as a special tax district, but when that proved untenable — the policy would’ve raised taxes on many nearby Floridians — DeSantis settled on a plan that gave him greater control over the local district’s board. He signed the new policy into law yesterday.
But soon after, the governor added a related and unexpected thought. The Washington Post reported:
Though the board is tasked with overseeing duties such as sewage treatment and road maintenance at Disney’s properties, DeSantis suggested Monday that he is also expecting it to act as a sort of moral arbiter for the company he has described as a “woke Burbank corporation” that is “trying to inject woke ideology” on children.
“When you lose your way, you’ve got to have people that are going to tell you the truth,” DeSantis said. “So we hope they can get back on. But I think all of these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate.”
The Post’s report added that the new board member won’t have direct control over Disney’s creative content, “but because the new appointees hold purse strings over infrastructure projects, they could influence Disney’s decisions.”
So let’s take stock. DeSantis decided to use the power of his political office to punish a company, not for engaging in wrongdoing, but for expressing an inconsequential opinion he didn’t like. After advancing that policy, the GOP governor publicly…
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