DeSantis signs law to ax Disney’s self-governance privileges

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference, Feb. 1, 2022, in Miami.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Related Press)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a regulation to strip Walt Disney Co. of its self-governance privileges within the state and mentioned the leisure large will find yourself paying extra taxes with the brand new laws.

“We actually have to get away from one of these remedy,” DeSantis mentioned at a signing ceremony on Friday. “Don’t fear, we now have all the things thought out. Don’t let anybody inform you that in some way Disney goes to get a tax minimize out of this. They’re going to pay extra taxes in consequence.”

The laws, which units to dissolve the Reedy Creek Enchancment District created the place Disney operates its Walt Disney World Resort, may have main penalties for the corporate that has been in a heated dispute with DeSantis after it criticized a regulation he backed that limits college instruction about gender identification and sexual orientation. DeSantis, a possible 2024 Republican presidential candidate, requested legislators to think about the transfer in a shock proclamation on Tuesday.

Reedy Creek has about $1 billion of municipal bonds at the moment excellent, in response to knowledge compiled by Bloomberg. The motion raised questions on who might be on the hook for paying again this debt and the way Disney will transfer ahead after having the ability to govern its personal municipal capabilities for greater than 50 years.

The Disney district has its personal constructing codes and approval course of for brand new tasks, which means that Disney usually doesn’t must wade by bureaucratic channels spanning a number of governments to get issues performed. The measure additionally eliminates 5 smaller particular districts in different elements of the state as of June 1, 2023, barring any additional legislative motion.

Burbank, California-based Disney has but to touch upon the laws.

DeSantis slammed Disney for movies he mentioned had been uncovered by Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist with the Manhattan Institute, that present the corporate had an “intentional agenda to inject sexuality within the programming that’s offered to our youngest youngsters.”

The governor capped the contentious week in state politics by additionally signing a invoice that limits how corporations and faculties can educate about race.

Handed by the state’s legislature final month, the invoice was first proposed by DeSantis to “tackle each company wokeness and important race idea” and comes as Republican politicians in Florida have focused a sequence of culture-war, wedge points in an election 12 months.

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