Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his plan Thursday to void the last-second legal agreement signed by Disney to maintain its self-governance and special privileges in the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
DeSantis spoke April 6 at Hillsdale College, a conservative school in Michigan, about his next move in Florida’s ongoing battle with Disney. (RELATED: Florida College Launches $10,000 Scholarships After DeSantis-Backed Conservative Takeover)
“They are not superior to the people of Florida. And so come hell or high water, we’re going to make sure that policy of Florida carries the day,” DeSantis said, according to Reuters.
DeSantis seeks to void Disney’s Florida theme-park development agreement https://t.co/KxFoyYlqHS pic.twitter.com/8hgqJ9XgBo
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 8, 2023
“We’re going to look at things like taxes on hotels, we’re going to look at things like tolls on the roads, we’re going to look at things like developing some of the property that the district owns,” DeSantis continued.
Earlier in the day, DeSantis hinted at next moves at a breakfast with the Midland County Republican Party of Michigan, Politico reported. Disney “tried to pull a fast one on the way out the door,” he said. “That story’s not over yet. Buckle up. There’s more coming down the pike.”
Disney reportedly signed legal agreements with the Reedy Creek Special Improvement District in February to preserve its special benefits as DeSantis’ legislation to abolish the special district was making its way through Florida’s legislature. The legislation replaced the Reedy Creek district with a new governance body and revoked Disney’s special privileges.
Disney CEO Bob Iger called DeSantis legislation “anti-business” and “anti-Florida” during the company’s annual shareholder meeting Monday. The company’s feud with DeSantis began when Disney came out against his legislation restricting the teaching of gender ideology and sexuality from kindergarten through third grade.