Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is waging a war against Disney that could cost Floridians over $1 billion in municipal debt. DeSantis’s attack on Disney, his state’s largest private employer, has sped through a special legislative session, with the republican majorities in both the state House and the Senate voting to to end Walt Disney World’s special district privileges. The privileges are part of the 1967 “Reedy Creek Improvement District” which allows Disney to operate as an independent government around its Orlando-area theme parks. This means that Disney World functions as its own government, with its own infrastructure that includes a fire department, a sheriff’s office, waste management, etc. It also ensures that Disney can build and expand on their land without state approvals and bureaucratic red tape.
Disney pays handsomely for these privileges, to the tune of over $1 billion dollars in taxes to the state. But now that these rights are about to be rescinded, that debt will likely be passed onto the residents of the adjoining counties. And here I thought Republicans were the party of low taxes.
Democratic state Rep. Fentrice Driskell told CNN, “It’s going to cost the government in Orange County and Osceola Counties and therefore the tax payers billions of dollars, I’m talking an additional tax burden that’s estimated $2,200 to $2,800 per family.”
And all because Ron DeSantis is furious that Disney spoke out against their anti-gay and anti-trans “Don’t Say Gay” bill. And by “spoke out” we mean that Disney initially funded the legislators who wrote the bill, and had to be guilted into doing the right thing by their rightfully outraged employees. Does DeSantis not realize that this bill passed? He clearly doesn’t care about tanking the state’s most successful industry or putting a massive tax burden on his constituents. DeSantis is clearly enraged that Disney won’t join his gay and trans villainization campaign, and he’s taking it out on the people who voted for him. Sounds about right-wing.
(via CNN, featured image: David Roark/Disney Resorts via Getty Images)
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