MIAMI.- The governor of Florida, the Republican Ron DeSantis, suggested this Monday to the executive president of Disney, Bob Iger, that he abandon the lawsuit that the entertainment giant has filed against this southern state and accept the end of the “special privileges “.
“They are suing the state of Florida. They are going to lose that lawsuit,” DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview he gave to CNBC, and in which he pointed out that the company must accept the new district board especially in Orlando, in the center of the state and where the Disney theme parks are located.
“All we want to do is treat everyone equally and move on. I’m totally okay with that. But I’m not okay with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company to the exclusion of all the others,” DeSantis explained. .
The governor was referring to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, under which Disney has operated autonomously since it began operations in this state in the 1960s, but which has been replaced by the Central Florida Tourism Supervisory District (CFTOD). , in English), created this year by DeSantis and with members chosen by him.
The creation of this new district came after a former company executive criticized the law promoted by the governor that prohibits addressing issues of gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida schools.
The step taken by DeSantis prompted Disney to file a lawsuit against the governor alleging that he is conducting a retaliatory campaign against the company for ideological reasons.
“I would just say, go back to what you did well. I think it’s going to be the right business decision,” DeSantis said Monday, after asserting that he has overcome the legal dispute.
Amid great expectation, the governor of Florida announced at the end of May his candidacy in the Republican primaries to choose the nominee for this party in the 2024 presidential elections, in which the current US president, Democrat Joe Biden will seek re-election.
Since then, DeSantis has always remained in the second position among the voters of this party, well behind the first, former president Donald Trump (2017-2021), and without managing to come back in the polls.
