As the Disney/DeSantis feud continues to escalate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill on 05MAY giving the board overseeing Disney's site in Orlando the ability to control development of land owned by the company and cancel development agreements that have already been approved by its board.
The new law allows the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board to cancel agreements that were signed up to three months before the creation of a new board populated with DeSantis political appointees.
As previously reported by Open Jaw, the new board was appointed by DeSantis in FEB 2023 to oversee development in and around Disney’s theme parks. Previously, Disney was able to control the land around its theme parks through a government body called the Reedy Creek Improvement District. DeSantis took over Reedy Creek in FEB and replaced the the district’s existing board, made up of individuals with close associations to Disney, with one picked by himself, and renamed it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Before he could replace the board members with his own cherry-picked appointees, the Disney-allied outgoing board signed a long-lasting development agreement aimed to limit the governor-appointed board's power by giving Disney World perpetual control over development. As previously reported by Open Jaw, DeSantis took the matter to court and asked lawyers to prepare a resolution that would void the agreement, and it appears as though he has succeeded - so far.
In response, Disney sued DeSantis on 26APR, alleging that the Gov. has waged a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power" against the company, as media reported. The federal lawsuit filed by Disney alleges that DeSantis "orchestrated at every step" a campaign to punish the company - whose business is therefore being threatened.
Disney noted that its development deals included "plans to invest $17 billion in Walt Disney World over the next decade, yielding an estimated 13,000 new jobs" on top of the 75,000 jobs Disney already supports in the state. Under DeSantis' latest bill, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board can cancel these development plans.
The new bill is part of a long clash between Disney and DeSantis over the governor's crack down on sex-ed policies, specifically a new law dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics. In response to Disney's criticism, DeSantis called to remove Disney World's self-governing status, which for the past six decades allowed the company to control the special district containing the resort.
