“I’m not so sure how this punishes Disney.” “Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney’s not popping champagne in the back room somewhere,” Randolph said. He considers the move to dissolve its special district something like a tax break for Disney. Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph said his county’s taxpayers alone could see a financial obligation of $105 Million to pick up the services currently covered by Disney. That applies to those six established before a state constitutional amendment in 1968.ĭistricts would need to realign adherence to these regulations passed after they formed, in order to keep that special district status. It will now go to DeSantis for his signature.įine insisted that there is time for special districts to be reinstated before the dissolutions go into effect on June 1, 2023. The Florida Senate approved the measure Wednesday before sending it to the House for approval Thursday. It is not immediately clear how the company or local governments around its properties would be affected if the district was dissolved. “If we want to keep the Democrat machine and their corporate lapdogs accountable, we have to stand together now.”ĭisney is one of Florida’s biggest private employers, last year saying it had more than 60,000 workers in the state. “Disney and other woke corporations won’t get away with peddling their unchecked pressure campaigns any longer,” DeSantis wrote in a fundraising pitch Wednesday. DeSantis and his fellow Republicans then lashed out at Disney, and have defended the law as reasonable. In March, Disney said it would suspend political donations in the state and added that it would in turn support organizations working to oppose the new law. The dispute with Disney involves the company’s criticism of a new law barring instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade as well as instruction in any grade that is not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” The move could have huge tax implications for Disney, whose series of theme parks have transformed Orlando into one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and serves to further sour the relationship between the Republican-led government and a major political player in the state.įor DeSantis, the attack on Disney is his latest salvo in a culture war waged over policies such as race, gender and the coronavirus. That’s what’s leading many to worry over the consequences that ending the district could have. It comes amid the company’s opposition to the “Parental Rights in Education” law, also dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”ĭisney’s special district, Reedy Creek, independently handles services like firefighting, EMS, garbage collection, water treatment, parking, and more. It’s been criticized as a “knee-jerk reaction” and political retribution against Disney. Ron DeSantis requested the move to end “independent special districts” in the state. Randy Fine (R- District 53), came after Gov. Beyond the Soundbite podcast: The DeSantis/Disney showdown.DeSantis signs 'Parental Rights in Education' bill into law DeSantis ‘receptive’ to calls to change Disney's self-governing status.Florida Senate passes bill to dissolve Disney's 'independent special district' in special session.The move has been seen as an act of political retribution, for Disney's opposition to the new state law dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay Bill".This special designation has allowed Disney to self-govern for decades.Florida's House of Representatives voted Thursday to dissolve some 'special independent district(s)'.
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