2023-05-19 01:08:35
The campus was to accommodate some 2,000 Disney employees in Florida. russell102 / stock.adobe.com
If the group advances economic reasons for its decision, it comes in a context of “culture war” with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
Disney, in the midst of a political battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, announced on Thursday May 18 that the group was giving up building a nearly $900 million campus in the state near its amusement park.
The American entertainment giant, which recently committed significant cost reductions, justifies its decision by a new business environment since the announcement of the project in 2021, with in particular a new general manager and “changing economic conditions”, according to a memo sent to employees and seen by AFP. For these reasons, “we have decided not to continue the construction of the campus”writes Josh D’Amaro, the manager of amusement parks.
The decision also comes against the backdrop of strong political tensions with local authorities. They consider the company too progressive since its leaders publicly denounced, in 2022, a bill that restricted the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida elementary schools. . Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a rising star of the American hard right who has launched an offensive against a supposed “woke” culture, ended in February the special status that Disney had enjoyed in his state since the 1960s.
It turns out that sectarian politics have consequences. More than 2,000 jobs will be welcomed with open arms in the Golden State. Thanks for doing the right thing, @Disney. »
Gavin Newsom, Democratic Governor of California
The governor also publicly mentioned the construction of a prison near Disney World or new taxes on hotels on the site, which employs 75,000 people and attracts 50 million visitors a year. Disney responded by filing a complaint, saying it was a “targeted revenge” against him to punish him for having exercised his “freedom of expression”. A figure of the populist right in the United States, Ron DeSantis is widely seen as Donald Trump’s most serious competitor for the Republican primary preceding the next presidential elections. According to US media, the Governor of Florida may soon announce his 2024 presidential bid.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom was not mistaken, who welcomed Disney’s decision on Thursday evening. “It turns out that sectarian politics have consequences. More than 2,000 jobs will be welcomed with open arms in the Golden State. Thanks for doing the right thing, @Disney”, he tweeted, preaching for his state, which is also home to an amusement park not far from Los Angeles. Another sign of the political significance of the dispute with Disney, Donald Trump vituperated Thursday against Ron DeSantis in a press release, accusing him of having lost “all alone” the group’s investment, because the governor would be “too weak to fight for his state”. ‘Ron DeSantis’ failed conflict with Disney didn’t really help his ghostly, wobbly campaign’mocked the Republican billionaire.
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The company had announced in July 2021 its intention to ask employees to move to settle in Florida on a new campus, the cost of which, according to press reports, was estimated at the time at $ 864 million. “This decision was not easy to make, but I believe it is the right one“Notes Josh D’Amaro in the memo this Thursday.
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