Lee Cockerell, former executive vice president of operations at Disney World, has weighed in on the ongoing battle between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney, saying he doesn’t think it’s hurting the company.

The dispute began last year when Disney, under then-CEO Bob Chapek, took a public stance against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.

In an interview with Yahoo! Finance on Tuesday, Cockerell, who oversaw operations at Disney World for 10 years, said the feud will unlikely affect park attendance because most people aren’t concerned about it.

“I think you’re not going to see any impact on the attendance at the parks,” Cockerell said. “I don’t think it’s an issue. I don’t think 99% of the people out in the world are even thinking about it or care about it.”

Lee Cockerell, former executive vice president of operations at Disney World, talks about the ongoing battle between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney during an interview with Yahoo Finance. (Photo: Yahoo Finance)

On Monday, the fight between DeSantis and Disney escalated even further. The DeSantis-appointed board overseeing Disney’s special taxing district filed a lawsuit against the company. The suit from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board came a week after Disney filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis, the board and others, claiming actions by officials were retaliatory.

“There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the state for doing so,” Disney said in the lawsuit.

Cockerell said he doesn’t understand why the governor decided to take on this fight with Disney.

“So I’m not quite sure why he decided to take this on,” he said. “There seems to be no upside for the state. Actually, a lot of expense with the legal cost he’s going to have to deal with this. So, I don’t know.”

Amid the rising tensions in Florida, politicians in other states have seen it as an opportunity to lure Disney’s theme parks business to their state. Last month, Democratic lawmakers in North Carolina filed a bill called the “Mickey’s Freedom Restoration Act,” aimed at bringing theme parks like Disney World to the Tar Heel State.

Cockerell, who retired from Disney in 2006 after a 16-year career, doesn’t think Disney will leave Florida despite the ongoing fight and offers from other states.

“This is like a city,” Cockerell said. “It’s a mammoth place. No, Disney is going to be here, and they’re going to be here for a long, long time, probably forever.”