Amid the feud with DeSantis, Disney canceled a $1 billion development in Florida

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Amid the feud with DeSantis, Disney canceled a  billion development in Florida

The Lake Nona campus, about 20 miles from Disney World near Orlando International Airport, was won by Bob Chabeck, who served as Disney’s chief executive from 2020 until he was fired last year. Retired to take back the reigns of Disney, Mr. Iger, however, was less enthusiastic about the project – the company said Mr. Before plunging into battle with DeSantis. Upon his return to Disney, Mr. Iger began telling lieutenants, for example, that it didn’t make sense to move Imagineering too far from Disney’s movie studios. He really wanted “creative teams to stay together.”

Mr. Iker Mr. He is planning and modifying the results of Chabek. In February, for example, Disney announced it would restructure its internal operations, which Mr. Ending a framework set up by Chapek. In March, as part of a broader round of layoffs, Mr. The 50-person Metawares program initiated by Chapek, Mr. Igar closed.

Disney is seeking to cut costs by $5.5 billion to improve profitability, pay down debt and restore dividends. On Thursday, for example, Disney said it would close a non-performing luxury hotel at Disney World. The 100-room property, announced in 2017 and opened last year, simulated a two-night cruise aboard a “Star Wars” spaceship. Bookings start at $6,000 for a family of four; Price limited interest. Disney spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing and marketing this high-speed offering, known as the Galactic Starship.

Disney shares closed Thursday at around $94, down about 45 percent from two years ago.

Mr. DeSantis and Disney have been fighting for more than a year over a special tax district that includes Disney World. The fight began when the agency criticized a Florida education law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay,” that restricted classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation — Mr. Infuriated DeSantis.

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Since then, Florida legislators, including Mr. At DeSantis’ urging, they targeted Disney — the state’s largest taxpayer — with various hostile actions. In February, Mr. By awarding the DeSantis, they ended Disney’s ability to self-manage the 25,000-acre resort as a district.

It was soon discovered that the previous, Disney-controlled board had approved development contracts locked into the development plan for the resort. Efforts to invalidate those contracts resulted in a series of lawsuits, including Mr. Disney in federal court. DeSantis and his allies were sued and the governor’s tax district appointees fired back in state court.

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