Ron DeSantis’ attempt to control Disney is only semi-successful  

On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gained control of the board that oversees development at Walt Disney World. The move is largely being viewed as political, stemming from the far-right governor’s “Don’t Say Gay” policy that was enacted last year.

The bill, which prohibits Florida schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade, was widely panned by Democrats and social justice advocates. Leading up to the signing of the bill, detractors spoke out in opposition of Florida lawmakers. The Walt Disney Company, whose resort and theme park is located in Orlando, initially wasn’t vocal in denouncing the proposed legislation. After social media outrage, however, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek made it clear that DeSantis’ decision is not something that the company supports.

Back in March at Disney’s annual shareholder’s meeting, Chapek said that he spoke to DeSantis “to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.” Chapek also announced Disney’s co-signing of the Human Rights Campaign’s statement opposing the legislation.

Disney’s public opposition of DeSantis led the Florida governor to attempt to rid Disney of the special district status it was granted under the 1967 Reed Creek Improvement Act back in April 2022. According to MSNBC, this law allows Disney autonomy over its large properties in Florida, as well as tax breaks.

“What I would say as a matter of first principle is I don’t support special privileges in law just because a company is powerful and they’ve been able to wield a lot of power,” DeSantis said about the company back in March 2022.

Although Disney’s tax district status was originally planned to be revoked starting in June, dissolving the district would have meant that taxpayers in surrounding Orange and Osceola counties would have to foot the bill for things like policing and road maintenance services. Instead, DeSantis will have control over the district’s board, giving him the ability to appoint members. Disney will, however, still “be allowed to keep ... almost all its perks, including the ability to issue tax-exempt bonds and approve development plans without scrutiny from certain local regulators,” reports The New York Times.

While DeSantis claims that he’s “the new sheriff in town,” the jury is still out on how big of an impact his control will have on the company. According to The Guardian, the board would be powerless pertaining to the content Disney presents at its parks, shows, and films.

Roshae Hemmings is an arts and culture magazine journalist from St. Louis, MO. A graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, her bylines include discussing pop culture, social justice and eat and drink. Roshae is a food at heart and enjoys eating food as much as learning the story behind it.

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This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 9:00 AM.