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Ron DeSantis moves to terminate Disney's self-government status
APRIL 19, 2022 12:45 PM
In escalating his bitter feud with Disney, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking the state legislature to reconsider the Walt Disney World resort's de facto self-government status.
During its upcoming special session, the GOP-controlled legislature will mull an end to special districts, including Disney 's Reedy Creek Improvement District, DeSantis announced Tuesday.
"I am announcing today that we are expanding the call of what they are going to be considering," DeSantis said during a press conference . "Yes, they will be considering the congressional map, but they also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968, and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District."
Under the current arrangement, the RCID is run by the landowners in the district — predominantly Disney. The RCID levies its taxes, oversees its zoning, develops its infrastructure, writes building codes, oversees policing, provides fire protection, manages water services, and maintains other basic local government functions. This reduces the tax burden on residents in the local Orange and Osceola counties.
Disney's relationship with the governor has grown tense, as the two have been trading blows over the Parental Rights in Education Act in recent weeks. To the chagrin of the governor, Disney publicly denounced the law, accusing it of damaging the well-being of gay students and supporting its repeal. The law restricts classroom discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.
DeSantis mused about stripping the company's de facto self-governing power earlier this month after state Rep. Spencer Roach tweeted that state Republicans had been considering its repeal. DeSantis has also previously expressed skepticism over the RCID.
"What I would say as a matter of principle is I don’t support special privileges in law just because a company is powerful and they’ve been able to wield a lot of power," DeSantis said last month .
Roach and other Republicans have expressed support for the move, contending Disney has been given a different set of rules than other businesses.
"Yep, you heard it here first. Proud that we are taking action to correct this aberration to the free market. The government should never use the power of the state to pick winners & losers in the marketplace. No more corporate welfare," Roach tweeted Tuesday.
Reconsidering the RCID's status during the legislative session has drawn opposition from some Democrats who expressed concerns that the move is politically motivated.
“There’s no legal reason to challenge Reedy Creek Improvement District," Dick Batchelor, a former state House member, said, per Spectrum News . "There is only a political reason and not a very good one — to say to Disney, 'While you oppose me on a public policy, I will now try to be punitive and punish you.'"
Florida's legislature will be in special session from noon Tuesday until Friday to redraw a new congressional map following months of intraparty squabbling and stalemates on the matter.
The Washington Examiner reached out to a spokesperson for Disney and the RCID but did not receive a response.
In addition to reevaluating the RCID, DeSantis also announced the legislature would look to remove exemptions for theme parks in the Big Tech Accountability Law, which is currently being blocked in court, in its session. The law requires tech companies to be transparent about their content moderation policies and grants Floridians the right to sue.
