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Credit: Inside The MagicDisney has once again been dragged back into Florida politics, but this time, it’s against the company’s will. This week, Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback was escorted off Disney World property after attempting to hold a “political rally” on property, which is expressly against Disney World’s rules.
According to a video posted on social media, Fishback and some “150 patriots” were holding a meeting at the Starbucks at Disney Springs. The crowd appeared to be significantly lower than the reported 150 people who were inside the coffee shop.
In the video, Disney security asks Fishback and his group to leave the Starbucks, telling him that Disney “does not allow any photoshoots or anything else like that.” Once outside, Fishback confronted security about “what types of gatherings” are allowed on Disney Property, while Disney security continually asked him to leave the property.
After Disney Security told Fishback that they were “getting a lot of complaints” and that he was “attracting a large crowd,” he responded that if they were talking about “transgender surgeries” or “DEI or LGBTQ rights,” that Disney “would not bother them.”
Fishback told Disney security that he would “wait for the Sheriff’s office to arrive” before leaving, but he and his group eventually left Disney property without further incident.
Fishback announced that he was seeking the republican nomination for governor in late November, taking on Representative Byron Donalds, who has a big lead in the polls thanks to Donald Trump’s endorsement. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is term-limited and will leave office at the end of 2026.
Fishback was born and raised in Florida. After dropping out of Georgetown, he worked for Greenlight Capital before resigning due to “low productivity.” In 2023, he founded Azoria Partners, which invests in S&P 500 companies that do not promote diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
He caused a great deal of controversy when he first announced his run for Florida governor after saying that Donalds, who is African American, is a “slave to his donors.” He doubled down on those comments last week when he argued that Donalds should not have been offended by his remarks as he was not an “American descendant of slaves.”
Disney World has a prohibition on political demonstrations on its property. It does not ban political attire, unless it’s deemed “obscene.” As a private property owner, Disney World has the right to ban anyone or any political stunts from its property as it sees fit.
What do you think of a political candidate pulling a stunt at Disney World? Let us know in the comments.