Florida House of Representatives and Senate have both approved a bill to end Disney World’s self-governing status.
Recently, the Florida House voted to pass the legislation that would overturn the special district that permits the Walt Disney Company to have total control over its Orlando-based theme park.
The bill has been forwarded to Governor Ron DeSantis’s office for signature.
It should be recalled that Disney recently spoke out against DeSantis for signing the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which prevents schools from teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation in K-3rd grade classrooms. The bill was criticized, with opponents referring to it as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
DeSantis said: “Disney and other woke corporations won’t get away with peddling their unchecked pressure campaigns any longer.
“If we want to keep the Democrat machine and their corporate lapdogs accountable, we have to stand together now.”
According to NBC News report, a 1967 law established the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a private government, that allows Disney to “self-govern by collecting taxes and providing emergency services.”
CBN News reported that Disney can also perform the government services of fire protection, zoning, utilities and infrastructure within its district.
The district covers over 27,000 acres in Orlando and its establishment gave Disney the authority to erect new structures and pay impact fees for the construction without taking permission from a local planning commission.
Once the bill is signed into law, the district will be demolished on June 1, 2023.
Recently, the House also passed a Senate-approved bill that seeks to eliminate the exemption of Disney from a 2021 law concerning big tech censorship.
Disney reported last year that it had over 80,000 employees in Florida.
