Florida governor and leading presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has battled with media giant Walt Disney Co DIS over the past several years. The battle has escalated in recent months as DeSantis is looking to strike back after Disney used a clause in new bills to maintain its self-governing status for longer.
What Happened: A fight over Disney’s objection to the Parental Rights in Education Bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, has led to a fierce battle between DeSantis and the media company.
DeSantis signed a new bill in February that will end the self-governing powers Disney enjoyed in a district of Florida that houses the Walt Disney World theme park.
In April it was reported that a clause from the Ready Creek Board controlled by Disney passed in February prior to DeSantis’ bill could put a damper on the Florida governor’s plan to end Disney’s self-governing power.
In a bid to fight back, DeSantis has promised to fight back against Disney and on Monday outlined several of his potential plans.
“We just wanted them to live on the same rules, pay the debt, pay the taxes,” DeSantis said, according to the Miami Herald.
One of the rule changes DeSantis said could happen is a new bill that would require inspections on theme parks in special districts. Current rules provide an exemption to theme parks in the state of Florida with more than 1,000 employees that have their own inspectors, which includes Disney.
“These inspections will be required for amusement parks in special districts.”
Perhaps the biggest revelation from the press conference held by DeSantis Monday was a comment on vacant land owned by Disney.
“The district owns other land, quite frankly, I wasn’t thinking about that,” DeSantis said.
The Florida governor said ideas are spinning on what could happen to the undeveloped land Disney controls with ideas like creating a state park or additional theme parks.
“Someone even said maybe you need another state prison, who knows. I just think that the possibilities are endless.”
That’s right, the current governor of Florida jokingly or un-jokingly said there could be a state prison built and located right next to Disney World, the place where many children are seen vacationing with their families.
A slogan of “The Most Magical Place on Earth” or “Where Dreams Come True” could take a quick turn with a prison built as the neighbor.
Related Link: 13 Fun Facts About Walt Disney World
Why It’s Important: In its clause to fight off the changes from DeSantis over the Ready Creek Board, Disney filed the ability to construct two “minor parks” and one “major park” between 2023 and 2032.
The newly named Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is set to share its proposal on planning, zoning and land development regulations for the district that includes Disney on Wednesday.
DeSantis has said that the moves made earlier this year by Disney and the Ready Creek Board were “self-dealing” and unethical. The Florida governor is fighting to make the clause illegal and said that the newly led district could dictate what the state does with property owned by Disney.
Several lawyers have spoken out on the potential challenge by DeSantis according to the Miami Herald and said the battle could pose an interesting case for the Florida Supreme Court on private property rights.
"The conservative court will have to choose between defending the rights of private property owners, which is typically something conservative judges do, and supporting an administration that is taking, perhaps what appears to be a conservative political strategy against a major corporation,” the University of Florida Law Professor Michael Wolf told the Miami Herald.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has fought against DeSantis since coming back into the CEO role. The CEO called the moves by DeSantis as “anti-business and anti-Florida.”
Disney is one of the largest employers in the state of Florida, making a move by DeSantis and attack against Disney one that he will likely have to approach with caution.
As a potential presidential candidate, DeSantis could also have to consider how hard he wants to push back against Disney and distract himself and potential voters from other larger nationwide issues.
With a potential head-to-head clash with former president Donald Trump, DeSantis could also find himself the subject of negative ads from Trump on what he is doing against Disney. The negative DeSantis ads recently started from a pro-Trump PAC.
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