Florida Governor Ron DeSantis opened a new front in the culture wars this week, taking on one of his state's biggest employers and most powerful lobbyists: Walt Disney Co.
The move came after the company's opposition to a new state law limiting discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools. Critics dubbed the measure the "don't say gay" bill and called it hateful, but DeSantis said it was needed to protect parents and children.He pushed back against COVID-19 restrictions, touting Florida as a "citadel of freedom" amid the pandemic.
That could pit him against former President Donald Trump, who endorsed DeSantis, then a low-profile congressman, in his 2018 bid for Florida's governorship. Trump, who lost his re-election campaign in 2020, has repeatedly hinted he wants to seek the presidency again. "DeSantis is the emerging middle way. If Trump were to quit politics tomorrow, DeSantis would be the heavyweight in the 2024 primary," said Dan Eberhart, a prominent Republican donor and the CEO of oilfield services company Canary, LLC.DeSantis is expected to sign into law the bill that does away with a special tax district created by a 1967 law that allows Disney to self-govern the roughly 25,000-acre Orlando area where its Walt Disney World theme park complex is located.
Democrats could frame the Disney measure as "anti-economy" in the Orlando area, said Eberhart, adding he thinks DeSantis is "in danger of overplaying his hand on Disney."
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