CIRCLE OF STRIFE

Disney CEO Bob Iger Roasts Gov. Ron DeSantis Over Florida Feud

Iger criticized the Republican and slammed the “false narrative” that Disney had gone to war with DeSantis to protect its tax breaks.

The House (of Mouse) always wins—that’s what Disney chief executive Bob Iger might have said to reassure investors about the escalating slugfest over the company’s self-governing district in Florida during a second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. But instead, echoing remarks last month in which he strafed Gov. Ron DeSantis as “anti-Florida” and “anti-business,” Iger criticized the Republican by asking, “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people and pay more taxes, or not?” He slammed the “false narrative” that Disney had gone to war with DeSantis to protect its tax breaks, saying, “We’re the largest taxpayer in Central Florida, paying over $1 billion in state and local taxes last year alone.” Iger noted that Republican lawmakers hadn’t targeted the Reedy Creek Improvement District “until we spoke out on the legislation,” referring to the company’s denunciation of Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. “This is about one thing and one thing only,” Iger said, “and that’s retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in us taking that position, we are merely exercising our right to free speech.”