Florida Legislature Votes to Strip Disney of Self-Governing Powers, Costs Heads to Gov. DeSantis Desk

The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s special governing power in the state.

The move could have huge tax implications for Disney, whose series of theme parks have transformed Orlando into one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and serves to further sour the relationship between the Republican-led government and a major political player in the state.

Fireworks go off around Cinderella’s castle during the grand opening ceremony for Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland  REUTERS/Scott Audette/File Photo
(REUTERS/Scott Audette/File Photo)

FLORIDA SENATE PASSES BILL STRIPPING DISNEY OF SPECIAL SELF-GOVERNING POWER

The bill will now head to the desk of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis who has been involved in a war of words with the company after it publicly opposed a bill he signed which prohibits classroom instruction on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” with children in third grade or younger “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

The passage in the Florida House comes the day after the Florida Senate passed the measure by a vote of 23-16 to dissolve Disney’s special status that it was granted by the state over 50 years ago. 

FILE PHOTO: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the welcome segment of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 26, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
(Reuters)

DESANTIS CALLS ON LEGISLATURE TO TARGET DISNEY’S SELF GOVERNING SPECIAL STATUS: ‘TERMINATION’

The special status, known as The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, was signed into law in May 1967 by Gov. Claude Kirk in response to lobbying efforts by Disney. The entertainment giant proposed building a recreation-oriented development on 25,000 acres of property in a remote area of Central Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties, which consisted of 38.5 square miles of largely uninhabited pasture and swampland. 

Orange and Osceola County did not have the services or resources needed to bring the project to life, so the state legislature worked with Disney to establish the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special taxing district that allows the company to act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“What I would say as a matter of first 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 during a press conference last month.”I think what has happened is there’s a lot of these special privileges that are not justifiable, but because Disney had held so much sway, they were able to sustain a lot of special treatment over the years.”

This is a developing story check back for more details.

Associated Press contributed to this report

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases