'It's Unsurprising' - DeSantis' Office Unveils The Real Reason Disney Cancelled $1 Billion Florida Project

In the wake of the announcement that Disney was scrapping a $1 billion project to build a new corporate complex in the Orlando area, a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) stated the real reason why Disney chose to cancel the project.

“Disney announced the possibility of a Lake Nona campus nearly two years ago,” Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement. “Nothing ever came of the project, and the state was unsure whether it would come to fruition.”

“Given the company’s financial straits, falling market cap, and declining stock price, it is unsurprising that they would restructure their business operations and cancel unsuccessful ventures.”

As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, Disney announced on Thursday that it was scrapping a planned $1 billion project to build a new headquarters for the Walt Disney Imagineering and the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products divisions, a move which would have brought 2,000 jobs from Southern California to Florida.

“Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with the construction of the campus,” Josh D’Armaro, Disney’s Park Chief said in a memo to Disney staff. “This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one.”

The move would have relocated many employees, including the Imagineers, who design the Disney theme parks from Southern California to the new Lake Nona campus, which many employees that would have had to make the move were not happy about.

The move by Disney is the latest in the entertainment giants ever-escalating feud with Governor Ron DeSantis. In March 2022, then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek criticized then-proposed legislation in the state that would have limited discussion of gender identity and sexuality in elementary schools. DeSantis, in response, would move to strip Disney of its self-governing power over Walt Disney World. Disney then sued Governor DeSantis in April 2023 over what it deemed as a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power.”

Democrats in the Florida legislature have lashed out at DeSantis in the wake of Disney’s cancellation of the project. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, (D-Orlando), said the governor, “Is a job-killing moron who cares more about his own political ambitions and culture wars than Florida and our future. According to him, ‘woke makes you go broke’ but this is another example of how it’s actually the complete opposite. DeSantis is not who you want for President — ever.”

As Governor DeSantis is preparing to launch his highly anticipated presidential campaign next week, current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump took full advantage of this move by Disney, saying that DeSantis got “caught in the mouse trap.”

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