Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has intensified his conflict with Disney by threatening to impose taxes on its hotels and roads that lead to the theme park. He has also promised to remove the company’s control over development in a district that oversees its property. The threat is the latest in the state’s ongoing dispute with the entertainment giant.
DeSantis announced his intention to take action against Disney at a speech in Michigan, where he said, “We are going to win on every single issue involving Disney.” The governor is widely expected to run in the 2024 presidential election and is seen as a front-runner Republican candidate.
The feud between DeSantis and Disney began when the company criticized Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which bans education about sexual orientation and gender identity for pupils aged nine and under. DeSantis has pushed to expand the legislation to cover all grades.
Since Disney expressed opposition to the policy, DeSantis has sought to increase governmental control over its Orlando theme parks. For more than 50 years, the Walt Disney World territory has operated within Florida’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, essentially functioning as a self-governing area that controls utilities and a fire department.
DeSantis called Disney “a joke” in his speech at conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan on Thursday. He said, “They are not superior to the people of Florida,” and added, “Ultimately, we’re going to win on every single issue involving Disney, I can tell you that.”
In February, DeSantis signed a bill that subjected Disney to more layers of oversight through a five-member state-appointed board. However, last week, the new board claimed that its powers had been thwarted by a last-minute agreement that gave the entertainment giant almost total control over development in the district indefinitely or until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England.”
DeSantis accused Disney of “acting like somehow that they pulled one over on the state” in relation to the agreement. He said the state would look at things such as taxes on hotels and tolls on roads, and also consider developing the property it owns near Disney.
Disney, which is one of Florida’s largest employers, said in a statement last week that all agreements signed between the company and the district were “appropriate” and discussed and approved in “open, noticed public forums.” Earlier this week, during a meeting with shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Iger criticized DeSantis, calling his actions “anti-business” and “anti-Florida.” He also argued that the company had a “right to freedom of speech just like individuals do.”
