By Hannah Lozada
CEO Bob Iger spoke with his employees because of Disney’s past handling of LGBTQ+ topics. He stated that inclusion and acceptance is vital to Disney media.
This was mentioned because of previous CEO Bob Chapek’s actions. At first, Chapek didn’t publicly object to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This bill banned LGBTQ+ acknowledgement in kindergarten through third grade. Chapek’s silence has caused lots of criticism towards Disney.
Various Florida lawmakers were angered when Chapek revealed that he was against the bill. This led one of the lawmakers, Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign a bill that would discontinue Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. Without this district, Disney will be unable to develop infrastructure and will no longer be responsible for the costs of civil services including water, power, and fire protection.
This bill is planned to take effect in June 2023. This bill will cause Disney to search for local counties’ consent for construction projects. This also means that the local counties would become fully responsible for the district’s civil services and debt.
Iger informed employees that he is preparing for Reedy Creek’s suspension. He is currently working on relocating over 2,000 jobs from California to Florida around 2026.
beniciapaw.com 