Disney CEO asks if Florida officials want it to invest more in state or not

Disney CEO Bob Iger accused Florida officials of putting forward a “false narrative” amid the ongoing feud between the company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), questioning whether they would like Disney to invest more in the state or not.

“We operate responsibly. We pay our fair share of taxes. We employ thousands of people, and by the way, we pay them above the minimum wage — substantially above the minimum wage dictated by the state of Florida. We also provide them with great benefits and free education,” Iger said during the company’s quarterly investor call.

“I’m going to finish what is obviously kind of a long answer by asking one question: Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people and pay more taxes or not?” he rhetorically asked.

Disney and DeSantis have been engaged in a yearlong battle after Disney publicly opposed the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation for early grades. Shortly after, DeSantis stripped Disney of its special status the company had since the 1960s, which gave it self-governing power over the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

DeSantis later signed legislation that replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which is a DeSantis-appointed board created to oversee Disney. 

Disney then sued DeSantis last month after the board voted to void development contracts the corporation made. The lawsuit alleges DeSantis is harming the company’s business operations. 

Iger blasted Florida’s response to the company taking a stance on the legislation at the time In the company’s quarterly investor call, saying the state was taking “retaliation” against its free speech. He said that the ongoing feud is not about “special privileges” but about speaking out.

“This is about one thing and one thing only, and that’s retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in us taking that position, we are merely exercising our right to free speech,” Iger said.

Iger also pointed out that there are 2,000 special districts in the state of Florida, including the Daytona Speedway and the Villages. He said if the goal is having a “level playing field,” then the recently increased government oversight should be applied to all special districts, not just Disney.

“And we all know there was no concerted effort to do anything to dismantle what was once called Reedy Creek special district until we spoke out on the legislation,” he said. “So this is plainly a matter of retaliation while the rest of the Florida special districts continue operating basically as they were.”

The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’s office for comment.