DeSantis and the Florida legislature to appoint a hand-picked oversight board for the district after Disney criticized a controversial state education law and suspended political contributions in Florida. limited Disney’s autonomy. Previously, Disney elected its directors. The Education Act, called Parents’ Rights in Education, prohibits classroom discussion of a student’s sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade. Opponents labeled the law “don’t call me gay”.Wednesday, the DeSantis administration expanded the ban up to grade 12.
Tax districts have been a key tool for Disney in developing its resorts, which include four theme parks, two water parks, and 18 Disney-owned hotels. Disney’s expansion plans, at the center of a contested development deal, include the construction of an additional 14,000 hotel rooms, a fifth major theme park and three smaller parks. The company says he plans to spend more than $17 billion to fuel resort growth over the next decade, and the expansion will create an estimated 13,000 jobs for the company. Become.
In July, the DeSantis administration reviewed and approved. Disney’s growth plan.
DeSantis, who has not formally declared a bid, is a leading Republican presidential candidate, but this week he has drawn criticism from potential presidential rivals for his war with Disney.Donald J. “This is totally unnecessary and a political stunt,” former President Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social on Tuesday.
But the governor shows no signs of backing down, framing his efforts as protecting the “will of the people” and ending “unjust special interests.” suggested the possibility of various punitive measures against This includes revaluing the resort for property tax levies and possibly developing adjacent land as the site of a new state prison.
“Nobody in Tallahassee dared to shed any light on this arrangement,” Martin Garcia, the new chairman of the Tax District Commission, said during the session, referring to Disney’s ability to self-govern. Then Governor Ron DeSantis called it out courageously, again, courageously, for betraying not only fair market competition, but the citizens of Florida.”
