Disney’s poor government relations span the nation.

Disney’s Icy Relationships with State Governments

Disney’s relationship with state governments has been a hot topic in recent years, with both Florida and California experiencing frosty relations with the entertainment giant. Here’s a look at some of the key moments:

The Disney-DeSantis Battle in Florida

While Florida allowed Disney to reopen its theme parks without additional restrictions, the relationship soured in 2022 after Disney spoke out against the Florida Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by opponents, outlawed teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms from kindergarten through third grade and forbade schools from withholding information from parents about students’ health and well-being.

After pressure from activists within the company, then-CEO Bob Chapek spoke out publicly against the bill. Disney issued a statement saying its goal was to get the law repealed or struck down in the courts. The day after Disney released the statement, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said Disney’s vow to get the law repealed had crossed the line.

DeSantis began to work with the legislature to restructure Disney’s central Florida district, which encompasses the Walt Disney World Resort. After nearly a year, DeSantis signed a piece of legislation in February 2023 to restructure the district and give the state oversight via a governor-appointed board. Disney had remained quiet as DeSantis bashed the company and restructured its central Florida district, but the company did work to undermine the takeover.

The same day the Florida House passed the bill to restructure the district, Feb. 8, 2023, the Disney-backed board of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Disney instituted an agreement that would undermine the legislation and effectively allow Disney to retain its control over the district. The new agreement was discovered by the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board in March 2023, which vowed to have the accord voided.

DeSantis then vowed to have the agreement nullified via the board, declaring it void through one of the “plethora of legal infirmities” and through legislative action. Shortly after the board declared the agreement void, Disney sued DeSantis and the board, alleging a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”

The Disney-California Government Battle

When the coronavirus pandemic swept through the U.S. in March 2020, nearly all businesses shut down, including theme parks. Disney closed the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, on March 14, 2020, and the Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida on March 16, 2020, for what was supposed to be until April 1, 2020. Later, the closure of both resorts was made indefinite as much of the country remained on lockdown, but in May 2020, states began to reopen with restrictions.

The company announced plans to reopen the theme parks of the Walt Disney World Resort on July 11, 2020, and plans to reopen the theme parks of the Disneyland Resort on July 17, 2020. The Florida resort’s plans were approved, but the California resort’s reopening was later delayed indefinitely after the state stalled on giving reopening guidelines.

With the June 24, 2020, announcement that Disneyland’s reopening had been indefinitely delayed due to a lack of state guidance, the company was at the mercy of the California government for reopening. Months passed without guidance, and tensions grew between Disney and the California government.

On Oct. 1, 2020, Bob Iger, who was executive chairman of the Walt Disney Company at the time, abruptly resigned from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) COVID-19 economic task force. Days later, Newsom said at a press conference that he was in “no hurry in putting out guidelines” for theme park reopening, adding that “we are going to be led by a health-first framework.”

Disney publicly condemned Newsom’s comments, adding that all other theme parks Disney operates had been able to reopen at a limited capacity by that point in the pandemic.

“We absolutely reject the suggestion that reopening the Disneyland Resort is incompatible with a ‘health-first’ approach,” Chief Medical Officer for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, Dr. Pamela Hymel, said in a statement.

On Oct. 20, 2020, the state of California released guidelines for larger theme parks to reopen, which specified they may do so at 25% capacity if the county the park resided in was in the least restrictive tier of the state’s reopening guidelines. At the time, Orange County, where Disneyland is located, was in the second-highest tier and was far from the necessary tier.

Angered by the guidelines, which would not allow the resort to reopen in the near future, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock slammed the guidelines as “arbitrary” and “unworkable.”

The resort would not be allowed to reopen until April 1, 2021, after Newsom revised guidelines amid pressure to reopen the state. The Disneyland Resort reopened on April 30, 2021, and was the final pair of Disney theme parks to reopen from the initial pandemic closure.

Since its reopening, Disney’s relationship with the California state government does not appear to be as adversarial.

Conclusion

Disney’s relationships with state governments have been fraught with tension in recent years. While the company has had to navigate pandemic-related closures and restrictions, it has also faced backlash for speaking out against controversial legislation. As Disney continues to navigate these relationships, it remains to be seen how the company will fare in the future.

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