(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a law giving him powers over the Walt Disney Company through its special district after the corporate giant attacked his Parental Rights in Education Act last year.
The new legislation signed by DeSantis has ended the self-governing status and special privileges provided that Walt Disney World had enjoyed for more than 50 years through the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
HB 9-B establishes a new district controlled by the state, and a five-member control board for it, which will be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate, Newsmax reported.
“Allowing a corporation to control its own government is bad policy, especially when the corporation makes decisions that impact an entire region,” DeSantis said.
“This legislation ends Disney’s self-governing status, makes Disney live under the same laws as everybody else, and ensures that Disney pays its debts and a fair share of taxes,” the governor declared at Monday’s signing ceremony in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, as cited by The Daily Caller.
The 189-page law will also guarantee that the members of the new state-run board for the Disney district had no relationship with the company in the three years before their appointment.
“Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end. This is what accountability looks like,” DeSantis declared at the bill signing.
The conflict between leftist-oriented Disney and the DeSantis administration in Florida erupted after last spring the former publicly denounced the latter’s law called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by the mainstream media.
The Parental Rights in Education law bans classroom teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade.
“[The Walt Disney Company is] ready to work within this new framework, and we will continue to innovate, inspire and bring joy to the millions of guests who come to Florida to visit Walt Disney World each year,” commented Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle.
His comment was made in a statement to CNN in February after the Florida Senate passed the law DeSantis signed on Monday.
Almost a year ago, Disney declared the “Don’t Say Gay bill” “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.” In April, a GOP-led Florida reacted by adopting a law to kill the special status of the Disney World district.
That earlier law offered two options – dissolving the Walt Disney World theme park or maintaining the district by changing its status.
The DeSantis administration chose the latter as the dissolution would have burdened taxpayers in Orange and Osceola counties with public expenses covered by Disney and a $1 billion debt the Disney tax district owed, The National Review stressed in a report.
Do you agree with the new law signed by DeSantis? Why or why not? Please share your view by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.
