Florida Governor DeSantis ends ‘corporate kingdom’ of Walt Disney World

Feb 27 (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a invoice that takes management of a particular tax district surrounding Walt Disney World that for half a century allowed Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) to function with a excessive diploma of autonomy.

“The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis stated throughout a press occasion at Lake Buena Vista close to Orlando.

State Republicans final yr focused Disney after it publicly clashed with DeSantis, who’s broadly thought-about to be working for president in 2024, over a regulation that restricts classroom instruction of gender and sexual orientation, identified by its opponents because the “Don’t Say Gay” measure.

In March, Disney’s then-chief government officer, Bob Chapek, publicly voiced disappointment with the invoice limiting LGBTQ dialogue in colleges, saying he referred to as DeSantis to specific concern concerning the laws changing into regulation.

In a transfer political observers seen as retaliation for Disney’s view on the “Don’t Say Gay” measure, Florida lawmakers this month handed a invoice, which DeSantis signed into regulation, that authorizes the governor to nominate 5 supervisors to supervise conventional municipal providers, such a fireplace safety, public utilities, waste assortment and highway upkeep within the area the place Disney World operates. The quasi-government entity additionally has the authority to boost income to pay excellent debt and canopy the price of providers.

“We have a situation here that was basically indefensible from a policy perspective,” DeSantis stated. “How do you give one theme park its own government and then treat all the other theme parks differently? We believe that that was not good policy.”

A spokesperson for Disney didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Speakers on the bill-signing ceremony included a father or mother who criticized Disney for talking out towards the state’s schooling invoice, saying the corporate, “chose the wrong side of the moral argument.” Another one that recognized himself as a longtime Disney theme park worker took situation with the corporate’s insurance policies relating to vaccinations.

Disney World is the most important employer in central Florida with near 75,000 workers and drew 36.2 million guests in 2021, based on the Themed Entertainment Association.

Disney shares had been up 0.4% on Monday.

Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski

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