Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is continuing his retaliatory action against Disney by announcing today that Florida lawmakers will advance a bill to formally nullify Disney's February agreement with the outgoing Reedy Creek Improvement District that rendered the new DeSantis-appointed board powerless for decades to come.
DeSantis was joined by Wilton Simpson, Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture, at a press event at the Reedy Creek Improvement District HQ just steps away from Disney Springs.
In addition to move towards nullifying the latest agreements created between Disney and Reedy Creek Improvement District, DeSantis said that Walt Disney World will be subject to state-ran ride inspections, including the monorail system. Notably, DeSantis said that he expects this to only apply to Disney due to it being located within a special district, and will not impact Universal Orlando or Sea World.
The large Central Florida theme parks, including Disney and Universal, currently do their own ride inspections, largely because the ride systems are highly specialized, and the state does not have personnel able to carry out the work.
DeSantis also again spoke about imposing higher taxes on Walt Disney World, recovering Reedy Creek debt from Disney more quickly, and even developing a state prison or other amusement park on Reedy Creek land. DeSantis threatened last week to impose tolls on Walt Disney World roads, but seemed to step away from that idea today due to its impact to Florida residents.
The new Central Florida Tourism Oversight board will meet again on Wednesday to discuss its next steps against Disney.
The Florida Governor's dispute with Disney initially began with Disney's public opposition to his Parental Right Bill, and has intensified in recent weeks as Disney appears to have out-smarted the Florida Governor in his attempts to seize effective control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
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