Florida governor: Disney has ‘new sheriff in town’
Legislature gives DeSantis power to appoint members of special tax district board
The latest round of culture war has seen the House of Mouse lose some of the autonomy it’s enjoyed in Florida the past six decades, but the company still held on to several key privileges.
In a special session last week, the legislature gave Gov. Ron DeSantis the power to appoint the members of the board that oversees the development of Walt Disney World theme parks, The New York Times reported. DeSantis had fought with Disney last year after the company announced it was suspending political donations following the passage of the “Don’t Say Gay” law that restricts the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.
“There’s a new sheriff in town,” DeSantis said last week, according to the Times.
But it wasn’t a complete victory, the outlet reported.
The legislature originally voted to entirely strip Disney of its special tax district, which gives the company the authority to effectively act as a local government that can issue bonds and approve building plans for its 25,000-acre theme-park complex. That was set to go into effect June 1.
But that measure immediately ran into problems, as it would then require Orange and Osceola counties to pay for services the district typically picks up, including road maintenance and police and fire protection, the Times reported. The district is also carrying a $1 billion debt load, which would have transferred to the counties as well.
So, following the special session last week, the special tax district and its privileges remained intact, but the governor will now appoint the five members of the district’s governing board.
Theoretically, the move could allow the board to tax Disney to pay for road projects outside of Disney World’s borders. And other exemptions were eliminated that could significantly increase the cost of development at the complex.
Disney still has autonomy over the content it produces.
The state House approved the measure Thursday, and the Senate followed suit on Friday.
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