ORLANDO, Fla. — The Lone Star State wouldn't mind some Disney magic.
Fort Bend County Judge KP George recently wrote to Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek and asked him to consider a move to Texas amid the fallout between Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration and the company's public opposition to the state's "Parental Rights in Education" law.
Critics call it the "Don't Say Gay" law because it bars educators from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through third grade. School districts may opt to ban topics of sexual orientation or gender identity beyond third grade if leaders deem them not to be age or developmentally appropriate.
“While you, your company, employees, and diverse fans face authoritarian, anti-business, and culture war attacks from extremists in Florida, we in Fort Bend are more ready to welcome the Disney family with thousands of good-paying jobs and billions of dollars of investments,” George wrote, in part.
Richard Foglesong, a retired Rollins College professor who wrote a book on Disney’s relationship with Florida called "Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando," says although it’s an interesting offer, he doesn’t see this actually happening.
“The Disney company is really too big to pull up its stakes and leave and go to another state,” Foglesong said.
DeSantis last week signed a bill to dissolve Walt Disney World's Reedy Creek Improvement District, which could have huge tax implications for Disney and the greater Central Florida area. It remains a question as to who may assume the nearly $1 billion in bond debt.
In an earlier interview, Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph shared his concerns saying he believes they will be forced to raise taxes in Orange County.
“The average homeowner could see a couple of hundred dollars more in property taxes and when you’re talking large businesses you’re talking possibly tens of thousands of dollars in additional property taxes every year,” Randolph said.
On Friday, DeSantis’ office released a press release addressing the topic. The release states “it is not the understanding or expectation for SB 4-C, abolishing independent special districts, to cause any tax increases for the residents of any area of Florida.” The release then goes on to say additional legislation will be proposed in the near future.
Foglesong says he never expected the powers of the Reedy Creek Improvement District to be dissolved in 72 hours.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of negotiating back and forth over the next 13 months because this legislation does give Disney that much time to figure out an accommodation for the state,” Foglesong said.