Disney self-government in peril after Florida House vote

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

On Thursday, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill to dissolve Walt Disney World’s private governance. This gave the Republican Governor. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the “ Don’t Say Gay ” law.

This move could have significant tax implications for Disney. His series of theme parks has transformed Orlando into one the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It also serves to further derail the relationship between the Republican-led state government and a key political player. Disney did not reply to an email Thursday asking for comment.

DeSantis’ attack on Disney is the latest salvo in his culture war over policies involving race and gender. These battles have made him one the most beloved GOP politicians in America and a likely 2024 presidential candidate.

The legislature passed the bill on Thursday to eliminate the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This is the 55-year-old Disney government. It also would remove a few other similar districts before June 2023. The measure allows for the districts to be restored, which gives them an opportunity to renegotiate their future. DeSantis will now sign the bill into law.

The three-day long special legislative session was bitter. DeSantis had assigned lawmakers the task of passing a new congressional grid. However, they also received the Governor’s request to vote on the Disney bill. Tensions flared Thursday when Democrats held a sit-in protest against the map on the House’s floor, prompting Republicans briefly to walk out.

Opponents of the map made chants about the suppression Black voters, as GOP lawmakers returned to pass both bills.

“It was clear that our requests and proposed solutions were not going to be heard so he rushed it through,” Democratic Rep. Fentrice Driskell saidThe Disney measure.

The dispute with the company began with Disney’s criticism of a new law barring instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade as well as instruction that is not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.”

In March, Disney saidIt will suspend all political donations in the state, and it will support any organizations that oppose the new law. DeSantis and his fellow Republicans slammed Disney and then defended the law.

“Disney and other woke corporations won’t get away with peddling their unchecked pressure campaigns any longer,” DeSantis wrote in a fundraising pitch Wednesday. “If we want to keep the Democrat machine and their corporate lapdogs accountable, we have to stand together now.”

Democrats have called the Disney proposal a clear retaliation against Disney and warned that local homeowners may be hit with large tax bills if the bond debt is absorbed by Disney. However, such details are not clear.

Disney is Florida’s most prominent private employer. It reported last year that it employed more than 60.000 people. It is not clear how the local governments and the company around its properties would be affected by the dissolution.

The company’s 1960s plans to build near Orlando were influenced by the creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and the control it granted Disney over 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) in Florida. Officials of the company saidThey needed autonomy to design a futuristic city and theme park. But the city didn’t materialize; instead it evolved into Epcot.