DeSantis says he’s ‘actually moved on’ from heated Disney feud and urged Bob Iger to drop lawsuit

Ron DeSantis is over his feud with Disney and has drastically slowed down his attacks on what he called the “corporate kingdom” as his campaign progresses.

The Florida governor urged Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger to drop the lawsuit against his administration alleging he was involved in political retaliatory warfare that arose when former CEO Bob Chapek surrendered. against his education policy.

In conversation with CNBC in an interview that airs in full on Last Call Monday night, DeSantis said he and his allies “basically left” the fight with Disney.

“I’d just say, go back to what you did right,” DeSantis said as his final word on the matter. “I think it will be the right business decision and all.”

Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey walked around the Iowa State Fair on Saturday with their three children with just five months until the nation’s first primaries

“They are suing the state of Florida. They’re going to lose that lawsuit,” he added, claiming that if Iger called him today, he would advise him to “drop the lawsuit.”

He also said he would tell the CEO, “This is a great place to do business. Your competitors are all doing very well here, Universal, SeaWorld. They haven’t had the same special privileges as you.’

The Sunshine State currently has the best economy in the country, according to recent polls – and is ranked eighth in CNBC’s 2023 ranking of America’s Top States of Business.

“All we want to do is treat everyone the same, and let’s move on,” DeSantis said, ready to bury the hatchet. ‘I can totally agree with that. But I’m not good at giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to a special company to the exclusion of everyone else.’

The lawsuit against DeSantis began after he stripped the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, of the special privileges it had been granted decades earlier.

After Disney began what DeSantis felt was an inappropriate trade-off in government affairs — such as his parental rights bill that critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law — he began to focus more fiercely on Central Florida’s largest employer and particularly on their special tax district.

The area has become a major battleground in the governor’s long-running feud with Disney.

Disney CEO Bob Iger sued the state of Florida after the DeSantis administration stripped Reedy Creek of its autonomy and took control with a new board that voted to quash contracts that would allow the district to seize power from the to thwart

He stripped down the board for the first time by signing a bill into law in February that gave him the control to hand-pick a brand new board. He then promised to revoke any special exemptions the territory received from paying taxes to the state.

After the new board was installed, Disney entered into long-term development deals that the panel alleges were an attempt to thwart their power grab. The board voted to void the contracts, prompting Disney to file a lawsuit in federal court.

A 45-year-old Republican caucus attendee at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday told DailyMail.com he is “tired” of DeSantis’ whole “war with Disney,” saying it distracts from the real issues. He said former President Donald Trump will win the nomination because of his focus on Disney and other “wake” issues.