As the feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney rages on, the entertainment and theme park giant has decided to pull the plug on a $1.6 billion campus for employees in Lake Nona, Florida, which is in the greater Orlando area. The investment was expected to generate 2,000 jobs, many of which would be for workers transferred from California due to “Florida’s business-friendly climate.”

One could express that another way: the move was due to California’s unfriendly business climate.

The timing of the announcement is interesting, considering that DeSantis is widely expected to file paperwork declaring his 2024 presidential candidacy on May 25. Is this Disney’s way of trying to kneecap the governor before his campaign has even started?

Josh D’Amaro, head of Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division, said the decision was difficult:

“While some were excited about the new campus, I know that this decision and the circumstances surrounding it have been difficult for others,” D’Amaro wrote. “Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward.”

The spat began in 2022 when then-CEO Bob Chapek tried to insert himself and the company into Florida’s legislative process and force the state to write laws the way Disney saw fit:

Disney (DIS) and DeSantis have been sparring for over a year about controversial legislation the governor signed that restricts the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Critics have labeled the law “’t Say Gay.” [It should be noted that “don’t say gay” is a misleading name because nowhere does the law use that language.]

The fight has intensified in recent months after DeSantis moved to take over the company’s special tax district setting rules for Disney World and surrounding areas. DeSantis has tried to install a hand-picked board to oversee the district. Before the Florida government selected the board in February, Disney had reached agreements with the outgoing board that limited the power of DeSantis’ appointees.

And now lawsuits are flying back and forth on an almost daily basis.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was quick to gloat, noting that the project’s cancellation was because of “bigoted policies”:

Turns out, bigoted policies have consequences.

That's 2,000+ jobs that will be welcomed back with open arms to the Golden State.

Thank you for doing the right thing, @Disney. https://t.co/1wrN2Zmi9O

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 18, 2023

While the crowing governor wrote that the “2000+ jobs would be welcomed back with open arms to the Golden State,” he failed to answer the question of why Disney was trying to move them in the first place. Could it be that rampant crime and homelessness, a drug epidemic, sky-high taxes, a huge budget deficit, and an impossibly-high cost of living in California contributed to Disney’s original plans?

DeSantis is not the only factor behind Disney’s cancellation of the Lake Nona campus. As a spokesperson for the governor said, it’s hardly a surprise “given the company’s financial straits, falling market cap and declining stock price.” In February, I reported that CEO Bob Iger announced that he was axing 7,000 employees—or three percent of its workforce—in a bid to cut over $5.5 billion from its operating budget. Meanwhile, the company announced Thursday that it was shutting down its costly “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” resort at Disney World barely a year after its opening due to poor occupancy. Adding to its woes, the content creator is facing a writer’s strike.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is shutting down at Walt Disney World on September 30. pic.twitter.com/bjfo6C8Qck

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 18, 2023

My colleagues Brandon Morse and Brad Slager, meanwhile, have written that many of Disney’s woes can be blamed on its obsession with woke programming. Here’s a sample:

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Shows Disney Where They Can Find Success but They Won’t Because They Can’t

Disney Shows It Has Not Learned a Thing – Amid Losses the Company Hails New Diversity Production Partnerships

Many like presidential candidate Nikki Haley have criticized DeSantis for daring to go up against Disney. To them, I would point out that it was Disney who started this fight and DeSantis only responded. He didn’t back down, and showed that he would fight for what he believed in, no matter how big the corporation was that tried to tell him how to run the state.

Meanwhile, there will be many like Gavin Newsom piling on with criticism, but Disney’s financial woes and costly mistakes might have also played a role in their thinking.

All in all, it’s not been a magical year for the House of Mouse.