After Senate Republicans on Friday passed a bill punishing Disney for its opposition to the rule detractors nickname “Don’t Say, Gay,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will soon assume leadership of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district.
The bill, which is currently awaiting the governor’s signature, would mandate that DeSantis form a five-member board to manage the company’s provision of government services on its vast Florida properties.
A special legislative session centered on the conservative agenda of a governor who has exploited political tensions over gender identity, s*xual orientation, and immigration to become a national GOP star and prospective presidential candidate ended with the Disney bill’s passage.
The hastily called and concluded session was a sign of DeSantis’ readiness to exploit the Republican supermajority in the statehouse to further his political objectives. He will continue this tactic months ahead of his anticipated presidential bid.
When Disney publicly opposed “Don’t Say, Gay,” which forbids instruction on s*xual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and lessons judged not age-appropriate, the Disney district takeover was launched last year.
To punish the business, DeSantis ordered lawmakers to disband the district during a special session of the legislature in April, starting a heavily scrutinized reorganization procedure.
To complete the state’s takeover of the district, the governor and the Republican leaders of the House and Senate issued an order last week directing lawmakers to reconvene for another special session.
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Before the bill was passed on Friday, Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart stated, “This all seems like the governor’s vengeance for Disney publicly stating its support for the LGBTQ community.“
Along with subjecting the district to many levels of state regulation, the proposal also changes the district’s name from the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Disney-owned organizations currently choose board members.
The bill addresses an essential worry of neighboring governments by maintaining the district’s financial capabilities and debt responsibilities. Additionally, it bans individuals from serving on the district’s new governing board if they have a three-year employment or contract with a theme park.
The district can issue bonds and offer zoning, fire protection, utilities, and infrastructure services on its property, thanks to its different administration. Republicans who object to the district claim it provides Disney a competitive advantage.
The bill’s proponent, Republican Rep. Fred Hawkins, argued that it “modernizes and updates an antiquated district.” It removed privileges that shouldn’t be granted to corporations, such as the ability to create or maintain an unfair competitive edge over their rivals.
The establishment of the district influenced the company’s choice to construct close to Orlando in the 1960stablish future metropolis with a transit system and innovative urban planning; Disney officials informed the state that the business needed autonomy in the construction process and determining how to use the land. The future metropolis was never built, and in its place, a second theme park that opened in 1982 was created.
On Friday, Republicans in the House approved two bills that serve as technical corrections to important DeSantis immigration and voter fraud initiatives. The governor’s administration will now signsign the suggestions into law.
One of the bills aims to end a legal challenge to the governor’s program for relocating migrants. This program was started last year when DeSantis used public funds to transport a group of South American migrants from Texas to the liberal hotspot vacation island of Martha’s Vineyard.
The administration’s use of funds intended to remove migrants from Florida, not migrants in any other state, to pay for the flight raised legal concerns.
The law says that future planes may transport migrants from anywhere in the United States and establishes a unique program for relocating migrants under the governor’s office. The action raises the possibility of other journeys as DeSantis continues to criticize federal border policies on his way to what is anticipated to be a 2024 presidential run.
Democrats have denounced the initiative as a political gimmick designed to advance the governor’s political ambitions, despite Republican claims that it will assist migrants by transporting them to sanctuary towns and states.
The second proposal clarifies in state law that the statewide prosecutor has the right to bring charges for election-related offenses in federal and state elections, strengthening the prosecuting authority of the governor’s election police unit.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will soon take control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district after Senate Republicans approved a bill Friday punishing the company over its opposition to the law critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” https://t.co/SEHa5OeEQU
— KMOV (@KMOV) February 10, 2023
Rep. Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin, a Republican, stated, “This ensures fraud will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, as it should.
Judges who ruled that the statewide prosecutor lacked authority to file charges dismissed some cases related to the election police unit.
To satisfy Republican worries about voter fraud, which have grown among conservatives in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s baseless assertions that his reelection was stolen, DeSantis pushed lawmakers to establish the election police squad last year.
A specialized team of state police officers who pursue violations works with the unit based in the governor’s department of state to assess fraud charges and carry out preliminary investigations.
