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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially took control of Reedy Creek from Disney on Monday.
DeSantis signed the bill giving him power over the previously self-governing special taxing district that encompassed all of Walt Disney World Resort.
It comes as Florida Governor and First Lady Casey DeSantis admitted to the ‘irony’ that they got married at Disney in 2009 and are now in a battle with the ‘woke’ corporation.
DeSantis celebrated with the stroke of his pen marking the end of Disney’s “corporate reign” and vowed to make the company pay its fair share of taxes, including $700 million in back taxes since the district was established in 1967.
“Disney loses its self-government status, the state of Florida is the new sheriff of the city,” he told a news conference Monday.
“Buckle up, there’s a lot to do,” added DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law Monday that will move to dissolve Reedy Creek’s current board and revamp the entire formerly autonomous district where Walt Disney World is located.
DeSantis held at a press conference that the law puts an end to Disney’s ‘corporate kingdom’
The new law, DeSantis said, essentially ensures that Disney doesn’t get any special treatment that other theme parks in the state aren’t getting.
He said the Reedy Creek establishments in the 1960s created an “unhealthy” relationship in which Disney and the Florida government were “joined at the hip.”
Previously, the Reedy Creek Improvement District could act with the same authority as a county government, creating its own rules and governing itself.
Now, DeSantis is taking back power from Disney and on Monday announced the appointment of a five-member board to oversee the nearly 40-square-mile area in Orlando.
“I have a lot on my plate, I can’t be running this from the governor’s office,” DeSantis said. “So we have created a state governing board that will be responsible for governing this area.”
“They have a lot of work to do,” he added. ‘They know our vision is. Okay, yes, Disney doesn’t have their own government anymore, but they have to make sure all these laws are enforced, they have to make sure the debt is paid, they have to make sure their fair share of taxes are paid. paid.’
Monday’s new law brings to a head the culmination of a nearly year-long battle between DeSantis and Disney over the passage of the parental rights in education bill.
Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek issued a statement condemning DeSantis over the law, which critics have dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill because it restricts educators from including discussions of sexual orientation and sexual orientation in their curriculum. gender identity from kindergarten to third grade.
Walt Disney World sits on land governed by Reedy Creek, which functions as its own small government and takes care of the roads, provides fire services, and handles building codes and water and waste collection.
Ron and Casey DeSantis discussed the “irony” in an interview Monday of getting married at Walt Disney World, as the Florida governor is now in an ongoing battle with the “woke” corporation.
Previously, the board was always dictated by the landowners within the district, creating a system that the rest of the state considered unfair.
However, the new board is made up of businessmen, lawyers and members of school boards from around the state. They are scheduled to meet for the first time next Wednesday.
One of the priorities, DeSantis said, is making sure first responders are properly compensated in the district.
Reedy Creek, which will officially dissolve on June 1, will also receive a new name: Central Florida Tourism Supervisory District.
‘How do you give a theme park its own government and then treat all the other theme parks differently?’ DeSantis questioned during his news conference Monday.
“Disney will be treated like Sea World is treated, or like any of these others,” he added. And that’s really the fairest thing to do.
“So I’ll be signing the bill into law momentarily and that will officially end the home rule status here in Central Florida for Disney.”
Shortly after his comments, DeSantis signed the bill in front of the camera surrounded by those who will serve on the new board.