DeSantis Defends Disney Call as Poll Shows Voters Reject Company Punishment
Ron DeSantis has defended his call to eliminate the Walt Disney Company's self-governing privileges, even after a poll showed that most U.S.
voters do not support governments punishing companies over political issues.After the company spoke out against the new Florida law that prohibits discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools for kids aged 5 to 9, DeSantis signed a bill to strip Disney of its self-governing status as punishment.
Disney has operated in a special district known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District since 1967, giving the company full self-governing rights and special tax privileges.On Thursday, DeSantis spoke out in defense of the decision, not shying away from the fact that the move was another jab in the ongoing battle over the HB 1557 law that critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law.
While DeSantis promised that stripping Disney of its tax breaks won't mean higher taxes for local residents, most American voters still do not approve of the use of government forces to punish big companies."I am not comfortable having one company with their own government and special privileges, when that company has pledged itself to attacking the parents in my state," DeSantis said on Thursday to Fox News. "When that company has very high up people talking about injecting pansexualism into programming for young kids, it's wrong.
