Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has claimed victory in his ongoing battle against Walt Disney World in Florida, after both houses of the Florida state legislature backed a change in state law, giving DeSantis the power to appoint the members of the board that oversees the development of the Walt Disney World Resort.
The move was seen as Republicans retaliating against Disney after the global media conglomerate publicly opposed DeSantis’ Don’t Say Gay law last year. A statement from Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle said the company was “ready to work within this new framework”.
On Reedy Creek legislation:
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) February 9, 2023
"A lot of folks in the media were saying, 'oh my gosh, Disney's actually going to pay less in taxes and Floridians are going to pay more taxes'… Well this puts that to bed."
"There's a new sheriff in town." –@GovRonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/mdoGmirTln
The original bill aimed to completely dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), which gives Walt Disney World its self-governing powers. However, this was changed last week due to concerns that taxpayers in neighboring districts would have to pick up some service costs, such as emergency services and road maintenance, as well as its debt of about $1 billion (£814 million).
Instead, the law change voted for leaves the district in place but with DeSantis set to choose who replaces the five-person board. Speaking ahead of the law change, DeSantis said: “There’s a new sheriff in town.”
The alterations mean that Disney has to honor its own debts instead of any being passed on to other districts. The New York Times reported that having the governor appoint the district’s controlling board could leave Disney vulnerable to being forced into paying to fund roads outside the district, as well as increased construction costs inside.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Florida Democrat Senator, Jason Pizzo, said that the law not going as far as originally proposed showed DeSantis’ corporate donors “overstepped” by picking on the “biggest corporate partner in the state”. One of the governor’s top donors, Ken Griffin, reportedly told the Milken Institute Global Conference last year: “I don’t appreciate DeSantis going after Disney’s tax status. It can be portrayed, or feel, or look like retaliation.”
This article was based on information from The Guardian’s article, “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claims victory over Walt Disney World” and The New York Times’ article, “Florida Governor Will Name Members of Disney World Panel Under New Law”.
