DeSantis Signs Into Law Latest Wrinkle in Disney Feud
There is a new wrinkle in the ongoing dispute between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company.
On Friday, Mr. DeSantis signed a bill that would give a board overseeing government services at Disney World the power to overturn already-approved development agreements for the resort.
For now, at least, the new law is a relatively minor development in the ongoing dispute between Mr. DeSantis and Disney over the potential expansion of the company’s 25,000-acre theme park resort near Orlando. That’s because Disney and the board have already sued each other over the development deals; The matter is essentially on hold, awaiting judicial attention.
Disney declined to comment on Friday.
The development agreements were approved by a previous Disney-controlled iteration of the board. The current board, made up of members appointed by Mr. DeSantis this year, alleges the agreements are illegal and voted to repeal them.
Last week, Disney sued the board and Mr. DeSantis in federal court, alleging “a targeted government retaliation campaign.” On Monday, the board filed a lawsuit in state court to quash the agreements.
The Florida Legislature passed the law Thursday. Disney wasn’t originally involved. The draft law presented at the beginning of March served to update the requirements for comprehensive land use planning by the municipalities. At Mr. DeSantis’ urging, the portion applicable to Disney was added last month. Democrats opposed the change, saying it sets a dangerous precedent for government interference in individual company contracts.
“Let’s just talk beyond the Disney drama about the idea of terminating a contract that you don’t like,” Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative from Orlando, said during the debate.
The standoff between Mr. DeSantis and Disney began in March last year when Disney joined other companies in criticizing a controversial state education law that, among other things, bans classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for young students. (Opponents dubbed it “Don’t Say Gay.”) Mr. DeSantis and his Republican allies in the Florida Legislature immediately began attacking Disney as an “awakened” company and began curtailing its longstanding autonomy in the state.
They focused on a special tax district that was created in 1967, effectively turning Disney World into its own district. It gave Disney unusual control over fire safety, policing, waste management, road maintenance, bond issuance — and most importantly, real estate development planning.
In February, lawmakers stripped Disney of control of the district’s five-member board of directors, handing it over to the governor. However, when those appointed by Mr. DeSantis reported for duty, they were outraged to find that the outgoing board had approved certain development arrangements, limiting the power of the new board for decades to come.
One of the agreements gives Disney the ability to build 14,000 additional hotel rooms, a fifth theme park and three smaller parks. The other restricts the use of adjacent properties; no strip clubs for example. Disney World already has four theme parks, two water parks, 18 Disney-owned hotels, a shopping mall and a 500-acre sports complex.