The curtain falls on the self-government of Disney in Florida. Republican governor Ron DeSantis ha in fact signed a bill which ends the power to the multinational’s special status and puts the entertainment giant and its theme park under the control of the state, punishing the company for its public opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The bill also provides for the appointment of a five-member board to oversee the services the Disney District provides at its sprawling Florida theme parks. “Since the 1960s, they have enjoyed privileges unlike any company or individual in the state of Florida has ever enjoyed“DeSantis said at a press conference held at a fire station just minutes from Disney World.”They had exemptions from laws that everyone else had to follow. They have been able to reap huge benefits without paying their fair share of taxes“. “How do you give one theme park its own self-governance and then treat all other theme parks differently?” he added. “We believe it was not good policy“, underlined the Republican exponent, recalling that Walt Disney is based in California.
DeSantis’ Announcement: “End of Exemptions”
The Republican governor, a likely candidate for the White House in the next presidential elections, explained Disney World will be treated like SeaWorld and other theme parks in the state.”My signature will also end Disney’s exemption from the Florida Building Code and the Florida Fire Code. It will end Disney’s exemption from state regulatory reviews and approvalsDeSantis said of the bill, reportedly from FoxNews. The new law changes the district’s name from Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and places it under various levels of state oversight. Board members were previously appointed through entities controlled by Disney.
The process of acquiring the district by the state of Florida began last year when the entertainment giant, facing intense (including internal) pressure, publicly opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans gender and LGBTQ propaganda in nursery schools. DeSantis and other Republicans have criticized the company for taking a stand against the Florida law, calling it a “woke” canister that spins progressive propaganda by indoctrinating young minds.
DeSantis, whose book, “The Courage to be Free,” will be released Tuesday, has moved in recent weeks to expand his political influence network through fundraisers and meetings with donors, elected officials and conservative influencers, thus confirming the hypothesis behind his increasingly probable candidacy in the presidential elections.
The Governor’s Culture War
There has been an open war for months between Disney and the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. Following the dispute over the “Don’t say gay” law, DeSantis counterattacked. Florida lawmakers indeed voted last April to deprive Walt Disney of its special self-governing status amid a political confrontation between the company and the governor. The status gave Disney the power to levy taxes, build roads, and control utilities on its theme park lands.
As you remember the Bbc, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special district was created as a result of a 1967 agreement between the state and the Walt Disney Company. This special status allowed the company to operate as a real municipal government, with its own supervisory board: this means that the giant could even build its own airport or a nuclear power plant, if it wanted to. Now that self-government regime is gone forever, while Ron DeSantis lays the groundwork for his candidacy in the next presidential election. With all due respect to Mickey and Minnie.