DeSantis Seriously Wrecks Florida Tourism Industry, "They're Really Suffering" - Inside the Magic

The Florida tourism industry, which the state depends on for tax revenue, is suffering under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis’s campaign against “wokeness” hit the national spotlight in 2022 when he introduced the Parental Rights in Education Act, popularly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The conservative Governor warned former Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek not to involve himself with the law, but Disney publicly condemned it after fan and Cast Member protests.

Thus began a months-long battle between DeSantis and Disney, ultimately leading to a lawsuit. Disney alleges that DeSantis’s dissolution of Walt Disney World Resort’s Reedy Creek Improvement District directly retaliated against their First Amendment right to free speech. But DeSantis continues to threaten the Central Florida Disney Park.

Amid his battle with Disney and a 2024 presidential run, DeSantis has instituted more “Stop WOKE” laws. From censoring drag performances and restricting immigrant workers to banning gender-affirming care for Floridians, threatening to take transgender children away from their parents, banning books, and slashing public school curricula, DeSantis has threatened the livelihoods of many marginalized communities.

Now, communities across Florida are seeing the results. TikToker Brian Miller recently broke down the tourism decline in various counties across the Southern state:

@briantacular

♬ original sound – Brian Miller

Orange County, home to Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and more entertainment destinations, saw a hotel tax revenue decline for the past two months. According to tourism organizations in Fort Lauderdale, at least six major events pulled out of Broward County, citing safety concerns for diverse attendees.

“A lot of people want to avoid the controversy that Ron Desantis has brought to the state, and so they’re just canceling bookings or refusing to book,” Miller explained. “As a result, Lauderdale is in serious trouble, the Lauderdale Tourism Organization specifically.”

“They’re noting that there’s not a whole lot they can do locally,” he said. “They don’t agree with the policies coming out of the state government, but they’re really suffering because of it.”

Will you visit Florida under Gov. DeSantis? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.