On March 7, 2022, Disney CEO Bob Chapek declared that the company would not take a public stance on the bill and would instead focus on effecting change through the commercial content it produces.
[8][9][10] The settlement came a day after DeSantis replaced two Disney critics on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District with two Disney supporters[11][12] and two weeks after the State of Florida settled a separate lawsuit with advocates, overturning a "large part" of the law, and clarifying the law's scope to allow for discussions and books about LGBTQ rights and people, with both sides claiming victory.
[15] The latter passage has been criticized for its vague language, as it "could be interpreted to extend to all grade levels",[16][17] and potentially forbid students from discussing their lives within a classroom setting.
[20] On March 7, Disney CEO Bob Chapek released an internal statement proclaiming the company would stand by its LGBT employees,[21] but it would not be taking a public stance either condemning or supporting the bill.
producer Drew Z. Greenberg, The Ghost and Molly McGee creator Bill Motz, and Andi Mack star Lilan Bowden.
A statement attributed to "the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies" was released,[22] where it is stated that "beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were".
[35] The protest organizers set up a website including a list of "demands for [Disney] to take to regain the trust of the LGBTQIA+ community and employees",[36] such as the company ceasing donations to politicians that helped create and pass the bill.
Additionally, The Daily Wire, a conservative publication, announced a plan to invest $100 million over a three-year period in a streaming platform with live-action and animated content for children to draw in some of those who watched Disney programs.
[39] In response to the controversy surrounding Disney's involvement in the bill, the company reinstated a previously deleted kiss between two female characters in Pixar's then upcoming film Lightyear.
[4] In response to Disney's announcement of opposition to the law, DeSantis and Florida lawmakers threatened to repeal the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which established the area surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as its own governmental authority which has same authority and responsibilities as a county government without burdening the Floridian tax payer.
[48][39] The repeal of this act would result in the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and mean that the infrastructure and municipal services surrounding Walt Disney World would be absorbed by other neighbouring counties, including the estimated $1 billion in debt.
Republican Representative Randy Fine filed House Bill 3-C[50] that would dissolve any "special independent district" established before the November 5, 1968, ratification of the Constitution of Florida.
[61][53] On April 22, DeSantis signed the bill into law, claiming at a press conference that "we have everything thought out" and that Disney would pay "more taxes" as a result of the repeal effort.
Sarah Jeong of The Verge criticized the bill for obviously violating international copyright agreements and the Fifth Amendment protections against eminent domain, as an attempt to punish Disney for opposing the Parental Rights in Education Act, and because it would not pass in a Congress where both houses were controlled by the Democratic Party.
In order to potentially avoid violating the rule against perpetuities, Disney's lawyers inserted a clause which would keep the agreement and prohibition valid until 21 years after the death of the last already living descendant of King Charles III of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.