Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday seized control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, hailing the end of the “corporate kingdom” as he effectively punished the entertainment giant over its “woke” opposition to his political agenda.
The bill allows the Republican to appoint his own board to oversee the services provided in the theme park by Disney, which attracted the governor’s ire last year after it criticized a law banning school lessons on sexual orientation.
“Today the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill. “There’s a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day.”
Photo: AFP
The move is seen as part of a broader effort by DeSantis — who is widely expected to join the race for the White House next year — to reform institutions that he believes have been hijacked by “woke” progressive activists and addresses criticism that the arrangement gave Disney an unfair advantage over rivals.
However, critics have voiced fears that the arrangement would make Disney beholden to DeSantis and much less likely to feel able to speak out against his policies.
Walt Disney World, near Orlando, is the largest theme park in the world, and has been governed since it opened in the 1970s by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, an independent authority with broad local management autonomy that exempted it from most state regulations.
The 101km2 park operated largely unnoticed by the state government until it opposed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law enacted last year, which bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
“We want our kids to be kids, we want them to be able to enjoy entertainment, school, without having an agenda imposed upon them,” DeSantis said.
Florida’s legislature passed a law that would have dissolved Reedy Creek as of June 1 — but scaled back its plan from dissolution to reform after experts said that the district’s US$2 billion debts could be pushed on to local taxpayers.
Reedy Creek was independent, but its board was elected by landowners, and Disney owns two-thirds of the district. Its five members were on Monday to be replaced by DeSantis allies.
State Representative Anna Eskamani, a Democrat who represents the area around Walt Disney World, pointed to what she called the “absolutely wild” scenario of a capitalist like DeSantis celebrating the government takeover of a private board.
“Disney still maintains the same tax breaks, but their First Amendment rights have been suppressed,” she said in a statement.
Disney, which employs more than 75,000 people in Florida, has said it will not fight the reforms.
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