Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has cut quite a swathe in America’s political scene since becoming governor of the fourth-largest economy in the United States (Florida would be the fourteenth-largest economy in the world, if it were an independent country). Rising to prominence as an early skeptic of the Trump Administration’s (and, later, Biden Administration’s) draconian COVID-19 lockdown policies, DeSantis has enjoyed widespread popularity and political success for what many conservatives consider his heroic stance.
In fact, many have speculated that whether he runs in 2024 for the presidency or in 2028, Governor DeSantis is the future of the “Make America Great Again” and “America First” movements that began with former President Donald Trump’s rise in 2016.
An Epic Origins Story
Like all wars, the seeds for DeSantis’ current fight with the Walt Disney Corporation have its roots in the previous conflict between Governor DeSantis and Washington, D.C. over COVID-19 lockdown policies.
Walt Disney employs around 80,000 Floridians. It is one of the most important components of Florida’s dynamic economy. Every governor of Florida, regardless of party, has hewn closely to the wants and needs of Walt Disney out of fear that they might lose this vital component of Florida’s massive economy.
Disney defied Florida’s policies and enforced strict COVID-19 lockdown protocols. Then, Disney decided to flagellate itself before the false gods of social justice and shut down its popular Splash Mountain ride over allegations of racism. To be fair, for years, critics of the ride have complained that it featured racist tropes and themes (and it probably was time for the ride to be retired). The problem was that the company was doing this on the heels of their staunch resistance to Florida’s stated COVID-19 policies.
As DeSantis rightly perceived it, Disney was caving to the “woke mob” at every turn. It was as if the will of the Florida people simply did not matter because Disney was a private corporation and the Left’s unpopular opinions were being taken as gospel by the greedy and frightened Disney executives.
So, Ron DeSantis did what every former Navy officer would do: he punched back. If Disney acted in contravention of the popular will of Floridians, he was going to pressure them to stop.
The War for Our Kids’ Minds
Then came the mother-of-all fights: the war for our kids’ minds.
During this time, the fight over allowing for greater discussion and lessons about LGBTQ issues in our classrooms was taking root. The only problem for DeSantis and most parents was that these discussions were not dialogs at all; they were monologues. In fact, what was being taught was not something necessary for the fostering of a healthy, stable, and reasonable next generation. It was pure Leftist propaganda falsely packaged as equality.
Unwilling to let a small group of Liberal activists force about top-down changes to the way we educate our youth here in Florida, Governor DeSantis championed Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, which demanded that all parents have priority input into what their young skulls full of mush were learning at school. It was at this point that the Left got into high gear. They smeared DeSantis and most Florida parents as “transphobic” or “homophobic” and created the kitschy moniker of “Don’t Say Gay Bill” to replace the more aptly titled “Florida Parental Rights in Education Act.”
Embracing the false status of aggrieved victim, the Left was then able to concentrate on stopping the changes the duly elected governor was attempting to enact. The Left did this not by appealing to the widest group of Florida voters as possible to change things according to their beliefs. The Left knew that it could not achieve such an outcome in Florida—nor did it have the time to do so.
Rather than do things the democratic way, the Left went about its preferred method of organizing to bully and coerce Floridians into accepting their extreme policies. By pressuring major companies in Florida—notably Disney—to take the Left’s side, the Far-Left activists believed they were going to force Governor DeSantis to back down.
DeSantis doubled-down instead. Like all competitors do. He did not realize, though, that the fight for our freedom and children’s lives would not end quickly.
DeSantis Attacks
This was going to be a marathon rather than a sprint. Because Disney’s corporate leadership had been totally captured by the radical elements of the Left and would not so easily be deterred. After all, the Left had convinced them that unless Disney complied, the Left would use its power to ostracize Disney and go after their profits.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Image Credit: 19FortyFive Original Image.
In response to Disney’s cajoling about how DeSantis was a homophobe engaged in bigoted policymaking, the Florida governor used his legitimate right as leader of the state to take control of municipal services and development for the special zone (the Reedy Creek Improvement District) encompassing Walt Disney World. DeSantis criticized the original development deal that the State of Florida had made with the Walt Disney Corporation way back in the 1960s (a deal which originally attracted the company to build the famed amusement park in the first place) as having given Disney the ability to “unfairly skirt local rules and building codes.”
As part of DeSantis’ plan to bring Disney in compliance with the regulations that all other businesses in Florida must comply with, the governor is choosing a panel of people to oversee all municipal services (fire, police, and similar services) where Disney operates. The board will have the power of the purse when it comes to Disney in Central Florida.
It will be charged with paying back Disney’s debt to, and raising money for, the company’s operation in Florida. The people that DeSantis appointed to be on the five-person panel that would oversee the Reedy Creek Improvement District are all DeSantis loyalists—including Bridget Ziegler, the wife of the current chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF). Disney officially said it would not interfere with Governor DeSantis’ decision.
Yet, behind the scenes, Disney did do something tricky.
Disney Strikes Back
As DeSantis’ new board for the Reedy Creek Improvement District was being created, Disney quietly moved to undercut the power and influence of the board by using the arcane Rule Against Perpetuities which effectively allows for Disney to “render the power of [the DeSantis board] obsolete”.
To be clear, Disney is behaving like all dystopian corporations do in science fiction stories: they are using their power and money to displace the elected government of Florida and replace it with something far less accountable and popular with the voting public. Because of this devilish move by Disney, Governor DeSantis has been forced to hire a pricey law firm in Orlando to seek out legal remedy to this problem.
Here’s Why This Fight Matters
Of course, DeSantis’ political foes—including former President Donald Trump, who may end up being DeSantis’ chief rival for the Republican Party’s nomination in 2024—have quickly piled on the governor. It’s quite pathetic, because DeSantis is leading a critical fight against the marriage of the Woke Mob and Big Corporations. Such a union is a direct threat to the personal liberty of every American and to our republican form of government.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Image Credit: 19FortyFive.
Major corporations, like Disney, have massive advantages and influence that ordinary citizens do not. If we do not have elected leaders (from both parties) willing to hold these corporations accountable, then these businesses will grow even larger and continue undermining our democracy. DeSantis is not fighting a culture war for clicks. At every turn, DeSantis moved with judiciousness and resolve not to enhance his own standing politically—that was an ancillary benefit.
DeSantis acted swiftly to stop the slide into authoritarianism that we are in. He might not have been able to prevent it for the whole country, but as governor, he was going to stop it here in Florida. That’s why DeSantis’ fight with Disney matters. It’s why he must prevail.
A 19FortyFive Senior Editor, Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
