A judge in south Texas has extended a warm invitation to The , welcoming them to pack up, head west, and plant Disney roots in the Lone Star State.
After news of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a bill that will dissolve , at least a handful of local and state leaders across the country have extended a word of welcome to ‘s The , each one essentially telling Disney that if the company is sick and tired of Florida’s actions, there are plenty of places outside the Sunshine State where Disney will be welcomed with open arms.
In , Texas, Judge K. P. George penned an e-mail letter to CEO Bob Chapek, asking him and The to consider building a brand-new Disney resort in Texas, in a county that lies just southwest of the city of Houston.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis made a similar invitation via Twitter last week, saying that the Centennial State would grant Mickey and Minnie Mouse “full asylum.”
According to ‘s Judge George, the invitation is not part of a political stance, and it’s not a joke.
“With a strong focus on economic development, we encourage small and large business growth through a business-friendly climate,” George wrote in his email to Bob Chapek.
George further touted the county’s “wide open and affordable is “more than ready” to bring jobs and investments to a new Disney resort. ” as a selling point for a new Disney resort in the south Texas county. He also said that
“My job is to seek or reach out to these organizations and let them know our county is open for business and we have numerous advantages, [and a] highly skilled and educated workforce,” George said about his written communication to The .
Judge George did, however, make a statement about Florida’s politics in his letter to CEO Chapek, saying the actions of the legislature are “authoritarian” and “anti-business” and added that the company is experiencing “culture war attacks from extremists in Florida.”
, Texas, is home to more than 811,000 residents, meaning that only 2.8% of Texans live in . Its largest city is Sugar , Texas, which is home to almost 120,000 residents, and also one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in the Lone Star State. Its population exploded in the last decade of the 20th century, increasing by 158% between 1990 and 2000.
Judge George gave Chapek several reasons for his belief that is “the best place for a new Resort.” George noted positive things about the county, including it being hailed as one of the most diverse counties in the , which, according to The Times, means that “this county southwest of Houston comes closer than any other county in the to having an equal division among the nation’s four major ethnic communities: Asian, black, Latino, and white residents.”
According to The Times, was also the fifth fastest-growing county in the country from 2010 to 2012.
is located just southwest of Harris County, the biggest city of which is Houston, Texas. Harris County has a population of 4.7 million people. (In comparison, Dallas County is home to 2.64 million.) This means that even though is a smaller county, there would be no shortage of parkgoers from surrounding cities, especially those in Harris County.
When asked where in the judge would suggest Disney build its newest resort, Judge George said the county has lots of available .
“We have large, large tracts of available on the south side of the county,” George explained. “And when there is a conversation about a thing like this happening, we will find that location somewhere. I don’t have a specific location because that conversation has to happen.”
George said that large tracts of are readily available to the south of the Brazos River.
He says his letter isn’t a stunt, and that his offer is serious.
“As the chief executive in , my job is to make sure every opportunity comes our way and we take advantage of it and we reach out to these companies and request their attention to our region, our county,” George explained. “We have numerous new companies [that have] started coming to our county.”
Judge George says his office invited Twitter, as well as Elon Musk‘s Tesla to set up housekeeping in . Since that time, Tesla opted to move to Austin, Texas.
The judge further said his letter is not a political statement.
“I see there is an opportunity and I am definitely looking at an opportunity to bring more economic development and more possible jobs and more opportunity to Texas,” the judge explained. “I have no comment about what the governor is doing in Tallahassee or what’s happening in Washington. This is not a response to what is going on there. I don’t control what is going on there.”
The final line of Judge George’s letter to The says that he and his office await a call from CEO Bob Chapek.