On Monday, Governor DeSantis signed a bill that calls for the elimination of the present Reedy Creek board and the return of district governance to Florida.
Lawmakers in the self-governing zone where Disney World is located decided to completely revamp the tax system there.
Therefore, the State of Florida has effectively replaced Disney as the resort’s de facto ruler.
Ron DeSantis has taken over Disney land in the Reedy Creek Improvement District as part of his war on the “corporate empire.” He has appointed the board members and is now demanding that Disney pay the $700 million in taxes and bills owed by the district.
Casey and Ron DeSantis, now the governor of Florida, have been at odds with liberal Disney since they tied the knot in 2009.
DeSantis signed an executive order shortly after taking office that declared the end of the Disney “corporate monarchy” and pledged to make Disney pay its “fair share” of taxes.
In 1967, Walt Disney World became an independent, tax-free zone covering the entire resort. This area is now under Florida’s jurisdiction.
At a news conference conducted on Monday, he made the following announcement: “Disney loses self-governing status, the State of Florida is the new sheriff in town.” There is a lot of work ahead, so please secure your seatbelts.
Autobiography On Tuesday, DeSantis will release his book The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Plan for America’s Restoration, which has sparked rumors that he would run for president in 2024.
According to DeSantis, the new law he signed on Monday will level the playing field so that no Florida theme park, including Disney, receives special treatment.
He claimed that in the 1960s, while Reedy Creek was still young, Disney’s relationship with the Florida government began to expand into something “unhealthy.”
Reedy Creek Improvement District used to be as autonomous from federal and state governments as a county is now.
On Monday, DeSantis took back nearly 40 square miles of Orlando from Disney and appointed a five-member board to oversee the area.
DeSantis has too many responsibilities as governor to take on this issue on his own. As a result, a state board has been established to oversee the sector’s management.
There’s a lot of work for them to accomplish,” he continued. They understand what it is that we are attempting to do. Thus while there is no longer a central government at Disney, the company is nevertheless able to ensure that employees pay their bills on time, honor their loan agreements, and obey the law.
After nearly a year of back and forth, DeSantis and Disney were victorious on Monday in their legal battle against the Parental Rights in Education bill.
Since it prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with students in grades K-3, opponents of the bill have called it the “Don’t Speak Gay” measure. In a statement, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek criticized DeSantis’ stance on the law.
Despite Chapek’s earlier claims that he wouldn’t be accepting any positions as the former CEO of Disney, this did occur. But the ex-CEO opposed the law and offered $5 million to an LGBT rights group the day after it was enacted.
This began a year-long conflict between Governor DeSantis’s administration and Disney.
Following the incident, Disney suspended its “method to advocacy,” which included its political donations in Florida, while it reviewed the situation.
In an interview broadcast on Monday, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis said that she and her family probably wouldn’t return to Disney World “until things improve a little bit over there.”
Reedy Creek, the municipality in charge of the land where Disney World is built, is responsible for providing essential services like water and garbage collection, as well as safety features like road upkeep and fire brigades.
Criticism of the unfair system that emerged as a result of the landowners’ monopoly on the board extended throughout the state.
In contrast, the new board is made up of state-wide experts in many sectors, including business executives, lawyers, and teachers. On Wednesday, they are scheduled to finally see each other in person.
DeSantis claims that a big problem is the lack of adequate funding for local first responders’ salaries.
The district will formally change its name from Reedy Creek to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District on June 1.
Is it fair to treat one theme park the same while treating the others differently since it has its government? A wide range of topics was covered during DeSantis’s press conference on Monday.
He promised that Disney would be treated the same as Sea World and the others. Not to mention, it makes sense.
Disney will no longer enjoy any unique treatment in Orange County, Florida after I sign this bill.
After delivering some brief remarks, and with the new board members standing by his side, DeSantis signed the bill in front of the cameras.
Martin Garcia, who ran the successful 2010 campaign for Florida Attorney General that resulted in the election of Pam Bondi, will now serve as the board’s chairman.
Bridget Ziegler, a member of the Sarasota County Board of Education; Brian Aungst, a former mayor of Clearwater; Michael Sasso, a Central Florida attorney; and Ron Peri, a businessman, round out the group.