Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Friday to strip Walt Disney World’s special status that granted the amusement park broad powers to self-govern.
The old agreement, which took place in 1967, permitted the venue to work as a quasi-governmental agency and maintain the same authority as a county government.
The new legislation, which was passed by the Florida Legislature earlier this week, could impact the amount of taxes the company must pay, as millions of individuals flock to the area each year.
“Disney deserves to be treated like any other company in the state. Here in the state of Florida since 1968, I’ll say that again, 1968, when Lyndon Johnson was president there have been special taxing districts that no one has looked at. Only one of them is Disney,” Speaker of the Florida House Chris Sprowls told Fox News in an interview. “It’s about time that Florida went and looked at these special taxing districts.”
Great to talk with @kilmeade on Fox last night about Florida's Special Session to assess the powers of special districts like Disney’s Reedy Creek.
Full interview: https://t.co/a02i2AkHPB pic.twitter.com/yT1Os1T7oM
— Chris Sprowls (@ChrisSprowls) April 22, 2022
The measure followed Disney’s attacks on recent anti-groomer legislation passed by state lawmakers.
In addition to the Disney bill, DeSantis signed legislation to prevent discriminatory instruction in schools and workplaces throughout the state. The bill aims to block Critical Race Theory and “corporate wokeness.”
“I am grateful that Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have taken a stand against discrimination, especially against revisionist history and ideological concepts that are outside Florida’s academic standards,” said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran.
“These dangerous concepts seek to divide Americans, rather than unite them. This legislation affirms that all students, no matter their backgrounds, should be treated as individuals with unique experiences, and that they should be afforded equal opportunities to find success and fulfillment. That’s why the Florida Department of Education is focused on ensuring our classrooms are teaching children how to think, not what to think.”
— — —
Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Disney Casting” by Davric CC4.0, and “Gov Ron DeSantis” is by Gage Skidmore CC2.0.
