‘I never had beef with Disney’ Ron DeSantis says he didn’t want to take on the ‘woke kingdom’ where he married Florida first lady Casey DeSantis – but had to take a stand when it denounced his Parents’ Bill of Rights

Ron DeSantis said that he never wanted to have to take a stand against Disney and claimed he went against advice of those who warned him not to go head-to-head with the powerful corporation and one of the biggest employers in the Sunshine State.

The Florida governor told at least 1,000 supporters gathered in Clearwater, Florida that he never ‘had beef’ with Disney until they spoke out against his education, race-related and LGBTQ policies.

DeSantis railed against the ‘woke kingdom’ for the outsized power it held for decades with seemingly no oversight.

‘Until we came in and we had to make sure that we laid down the law,’ he said to massive cheers.

‘The fact of the matter is, you need to have a state that’s governed based on the best interests of the people, best interests of children and families,’ he added. ‘Not whatever some California based woke company has to say.’

Staff handed out copies of DeSantis’ new memoir The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival. The remarks were technically part of his book tour – although many have seen these recent speeches as campaign events despite the governor not yet officially announcing a White House bid.

Earlier on Wednesday, the governor held a press conference in Tampa, Florida exposing the sexually explicit and pornographic materials in books found at middle and high schools across the state.

DeSantis made the comments as part of his remarks for a stop on his book tour – which many people speculate is serving as a series of events leading up to a presidential bid announcement. DeSantis holds up a copy of his new memoir The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival

DeSantis mingled with attendees and signed copies of his book at the event on Wednesday

He played a six-minute video at the press conference containing some examples of the shocking illustrations and said his administration’s removal of this type of material has sparked a ‘hoax’ that he is ‘banning books.’

Many of his policies preventing educators speaking about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools was what led to his now year-long war with Walt Disney World.

‘Disney – I had no beef with them or anything,’ DeSantis insisted. ‘They were just normal – at least that’s what I thought.’

DeSantis’ book released last month detailed that he and first lady Casey got married at Disney back in 2009. He insisted that he banned any characters from being present because he wanted his wedding to feel ‘normal.’

‘We did things that a lot of other governments have done,’ DeSantis said of his gubernatorial accomplishments. ‘I mean, think about it. We had to stare down the most powerful company in the history of the state of Florida.’

‘I didn’t want to get involved with it,’ he insisted. ‘I was counseled against getting involved in it. A lot of people said not to get involved in it – and we were not going to be able to do the Parents’ Rights bill because they’re just so powerful.’

DeSantis said, however, that he was able to strip Disney of that power that they held for more than six decades with his signature earlier this month on a new law that dissolves the Reedy Creek Improvement District board and gives power to the state over the formerly tax-exempt and self-governing area encompassing all of Walt Disney World.

A man who yelled at the Governor during his remarks was removed from the premise by security. It was not clear what was said

Staff handed out copies of DeSantis’ new book to attendees on Wednesday

The governor spoke Wednesday evening to a few thousand people gathered at the OCC Road House and Museum – a garage-themed restaurant with a huge covered outdoor area where live acts and line dancing occur that also features a motorcycle museum.

The restaurant opened in the middle of COVID. The owner said that DeSantis’ policies are the only reason that he was able to open and be prosperous.

At one point during DeSantis’ remarks an audience member started to yell toward the stage, catching the governor off guard. It is not immediately clear what the man said, but security escorted him off the premises.

The event ended with the blasting of the song Sweet Florida, a 2022 Van Zant song written as tribute to DeSantis and his policies during the pandemic that helped lead the Sunshine State in being the first to fully reopen following lockdowns.

‘One of the lessons of the book is swinging for the fences, you only get a chance to go around this thing one time,’ DeSantis said. ‘I want to be able to look into the mirror and say when people needed me to stand up for them, I did.’