The Walt Disney Company is readying a massive renovation and redevelopment of its California theme parks — just as the Mouse House curtails spending in Florida following its feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Disney CEO Robert Iger, who has been at loggerheads with the GOP presidential hopeful over his “Don’t Say Gay” law, is pressing ahead with a Disneyland Forward plan that will upgrade the Anaheim, Calif., attractions.
The move comes after Iger in May abort plans to build a $1 billion office campus that would have seen 2,000 employees relocated from California to Central Florida.
Disney then announced the closure of its Star Wars-theme luxury hotel, where a family of four paid $6,000 for a two-night stay.
Iger had blasted DeSantis as “anti-business” and “anti-Florida” in April following DeSantis’ decision to strip the entertainment giant of its self-governing status over its Orlando theme parks.
Disney has sued DeSantis in federal court, accusing the Florida governor of violating the company’s First Amendment rights to free speech.
The Disney-DeSantis rift has apparently created an opening for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to embrace the Mouse House and publicly back the plan to significantly expand its Anaheim resort, which includes Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park.
Last month, Newsom’s office issued a press release showing the Democratic leader embracing Disneyland revelers during the theme park’s first-ever “Disney After Dark Pride Nite” event.
“In California, we don’t just tolerate our diversity -– we celebrate it and all the ways it makes us stronger,” Newsom said.
“Our inclusivity and acceptance attract new talent and ideas that drive our economic growth and make California a hot spot for world-leading companies to grow and prosper.”
Newsom’s office also promoted a study by economists from Cal State Fullerton which claimed to show that the state would benefit financially from the “Disneyland Forward” initiative.
For every $1 billion that Disney invests in expanding its Anaheim theme parks, it will generate more than $250 million annually in economic output, according to the study’s authors.
The project will have residual benefits, including $15 million in annual tax revenue for the city of Anaheim, more than $20 million in tax proceeds for the state, and the creation of thousands of construction and ongoing operations jobs.
Newsom has used his platform as the leader of the nation’s most populous state to go after DeSantis, calling the GOP hopeful a “weak” and “undisciplined” candidate who “will be crushed by Donald Trump.”
DeSantis has mocked Newsom for his “fixation” on Florida while accusing his “leftist government” of destroying California.
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