DeSantis signs Corporate Testament to Bill Terminating Disney in Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill Monday that would end autonomy at Disney Parks in Orlando.

“The corporate world is finally over,” DeSantis said, playing out Disney’s “Fantasy World” and other “worlds” at the bill signing ceremony at the Lake Buena Vista Firehouse in the heart of the state. private neighborhood.

On February 10, the Florida Congress passed DeSantis’ state bill to take over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which has operated independently for more than half a century.

“This legislation ends Disney’s home rule status, makes Disney live under the same laws as everyone else, and ensures that Disney pays its debts and a fair share of taxes,” said a statement from the Florida government.

As of now, the special district is in the hands of a board of five supervisors hand-picked by DeSantis himself, which has clashed with the entertainment giant over a law on identity and gender in schools that activists and the Democratic opposition have called out. Don’t say “like me” (“Don’t talk like me”).

Disney has criticized the law, which, among other things, prohibits teachers from speaking to younger students about sexual orientation and gender identity and imposes fines on schools in violation.

Under the new law, the region will, for the first time, have to submit its budget and finances to the state and will face restrictions on building airports, stadiums and civic centers.

Moreover, expansion is not possible without state approval, and no public funds will be allocated to publicize the company’s milestones.

However, the district will retain authority over planning, zoning, building and safety codes, and the existing tax-exempt status of property and deeds.

Dubbed “The Happiest Place on Earth,” the place has had special status for the county since 1967, and an independent government has allowed it to grow into six amusement parks, a sports center, a huge shopping center, 25 hotels, and its own police and fire department. and nearly 80,000 employees across nearly 11,000 hectares in Osceola and Orange counties, in the middle of the state.

On Monday, DeSantis spoke of his “fight” with Disney over signing the bill into law.

“We had a little fight last year about school legislation,” DeSantis said, referring to Disney as a “California corporation” with “privileges” that nobody else in Florida has.

“If we go down this path as a company, those are not the values ​​we want to promote in the state of Florida,” commented DeSantis, who will be re-elected in 2022 to another four years.

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