Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ (R) feud with Disney continues as the Governor vows to not “allow woke corporations to strong-arm our state.” While the move has gotten him called “authoritarian trash” by Democrats, DeSantis has pushed to make sure that Disney cannot govern itself. As the rivalry continues, DeSantis is expressing that “if Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy.”
Earlier this week, the Governor held a news conference in the Villages, announcing that, in the Florida Legislature’s Special Session, he wanted the Legislature to consider “termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968 – and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District.”
The district is the governing body and the special taxing district for the Walt Disney Resort, and the Governor wants “the state legislature to eliminate Disney’s sweetheart deal – negotiated and preserved for decades by the powerful.”
Arguing that this is part of his agenda “to put the people of Florida first,” he admitted that he would be doing everything in his power to make sure that “a woke corporation based in California” does not “run” Florida.
“Disney has gotten away with special deals from the state of Florida for way too long,” the Governor shared in a message sent to supporters, adding that “it took a look under the hood to see what Disney has become to truly understand their inappropriate influence.”
With the district being terminated, the Governor claims that this would “put the power back in the hands of Floridians and out of the pockets of woke executives.”
After making the announcement, Democrats chided the Governor, arguing that the Governor was displaying a gross example of overreach of power.
In 1967, a special Act of the Florida Legislature created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, “which is to support and administer certain aspects of the economic development and tourism within District boundaries” according to its website.
