The Florida Senate passed a bill that would strip Walt Disney World of its self-governing status in an escalation of the feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the entertainment company.
In a 23-16 vote Wednesday, the GOP-led Senate passed the legislation that would dismantle the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which allows Disney to oversee its own zoning, infrastructure, laws, and policing. DeSantis called to extend the state legislature’s special session Tuesday so lawmakers could reconsider the resort’s de facto self-government status, arguing it grants unfair advantages.
“Special districts could in some instances show favoritism,” the governor’s office told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “Should a corporation be serving as a regulator and a business at the same time? Should a corporation get to avoid standard environmental permitting processes? Should a corporation engage in eminent domain? Other businesses don’t get these privileges.”
RON DESANTIS MOVES TO TERMINATE DISNEY’S SELF-GOVERNMENT STATUS
The Florida Republican began musing about stripping the company of its special status in early April after Disney executives denounced the governor’s Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents.
The Reedy Creek proposal has drawn opposition from state Democrats, who expressed concerns the move is politically motivated.
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The bill, if passed, would not only repeal the special status of the Reedy Creek district but would also remove privileges from six other special districts in the state that are deemed unconstitutional because they were established before Florida’s constitution was ratified in 1968. Those districts could return to the legislature to appeal the decision if the bill is signed into law.
The legislation passed the Senate on Wednesday and now heads to the House, also led by Republicans, for consideration.
