Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to abolish Disney World's "government"

By maryvillarealdw // 2022-04-21

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis submitted a declaration to legislators to review a law that allows Walt Disney World Resort to act as a type of local government. While the declaration did not explicitly name Disney, it did mention "independent special districts established prior to November 5, 1968." It also noted that Florida's institution, which was revised in 1968, prohibits special laws that grant privileges to private corporations, although its earlier forms contained no such prohibitions. Reedy Creek Improvement District was developed by means of a private-public partnership launched in 1967 between the Walt Disney Company and the State of Florida. This partnership stated that Disney will have the same authority and responsibilities as a "county government" to develop the nearly 40-square-mile "largely uninhabited pasture and swampland" ten miles or more from the nearest power and water lines, as per the district's website. (Related: Disney in danger of losing copyright, special "self-governing" status in Florida amid fallout over increasingly woke agenda.) Disney built and maintained 134 miles of roadways and 67 waterways over the decades. It also achieved a six to eight-minute response time for fire and emergency medical services. It also logs in 250,000 daily guests and 2,000 vendors, suppliers and contractors to provide high-quality services for its visitors. However, DeSantis is putting Disney under review as a weeks-long feud dragged on with the company over its vow to pressure lawmakers and "work to repeal" the Parental Rights in Education Act, which was criticized as anti-LGBTQ. The bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law, disallows lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity among children in third grade and below, sparking arguments across the country. Disney maintained neutrality over the legislation until pressure from its employees, LGBTQ activists and "woke" allies forced them to reverse their stance and has since halted campaign donations to legislators behind the bill, saying that it "never should have happened" on the same day that DeSantis signed the bill into law. (Related: LGBT teacher defends gender education for children, insists that they are "mature enough" for it.) Appearing on Tucker Carlson, DeSantis rebuked Disney's leadership, saying they don't run the state and will never do so as long as he is governor. Florida lawmaker and DeSantis ally Spencer Roach also said legislators already met to discuss the prospect of dismantling the district that allows Disney to "act as its own government." "If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting they should be regulated by Orange County," he said.

Disney to lose millions in local taxes

With the Florida lawmakers stripping Disney of its special status in measures that could potentially go into effect on June 1, 2023, the company could stand to lose millions in local taxes. Under the special districts deal, Disney can run the district as a local government. It collects taxes but also guarantees public services such as garbage collection and water treatment. The district is governed by a Board of Supervisors elected by its 19 landowners, the biggest and most influential of which is Disney World. However, it could also see two Florida counties saddled with a billion-dollar debt that is currently owed by Walt Disney World, which they may end up shouldering amid the fallout between DeSantis and the company over the Parental Rights in Education Bill. Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer of Fort Lauderdale said the bill was not fiscally sound. Other counties would be in the same boat for the five other districts that the state will be dissolving, however, they do not have the revenue that Orange County and Osceola do. "So this is not supposition, this is not conjecture, this is Florida law that says those 1.7 million people are going to have to pick up this bill," he said. Meanwhile, Colorado Governor Jared Polis offered Disney asylum in his state as he hit out at what he said are "authoritarian socialist attacks" from Florida. He tweeted: "Florida's authoritarian socialist attacks on the private sector are driving businesses away. In [Colorado], we don't meddle in affairs of companies like Disney or Twitter." Follow BigGovernment.news for more information about special private governments and more. Watch the video below to know more about the Reedy Creek Improvement District and why DeSantis wants to strip away its special privileges. This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.

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Disney to lose millions in local taxes

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