Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World.
Roberto Machado Noa | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Forget about Disney princesses. Mickey Mouse might have just proved who’s the real king of Florida.
Disney used a legal clause that name checks King Charles III to apparently thwart Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempt to strip the company of its self-governance power in the state.
For nearly a year, state legislators, encouraged by DeSantis, have sought to exert more control over the company’s Florida-based theme parks by passing a bill that would dissolve Disney’s special tax district. DeSantis also wanted to rename the area the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and plant a new board to oversee it.
Widely seen as a contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, DeSantis became locked in a bitter and public feud with the entertainment giant over the company’s denouncement of Florida’s HB 1557 law early last year. HB 1557, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, limits early education teachings on sexual orientation or gender identity.
State Rep. Randy Fine told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last April that the bill wasn’t retaliatory, but then said “when Disney kicked the hornet’s nest, we looked at special districts.”
While Disney remained quiet on the matter for months, it seems the House of Mouse had been hatching a plan to retain its control over the land within the outer limits of Orange and Osceola counties.
On Feb. 8, the day before the Florida House voted to put DeSantis in charge, the previous Disney-allied board signed a long-lasting development agreement that drastically limits the control that can be exercised over the company and its district.
As part a 30-year development agreement, Disney no longer needs board approval to build high-density projects and buildings of any height and sell or assign development rights. It also bans the board from using Disney’s name or any of its characters.
The agreement includes a royal clause that dates back to 1692 in Britain…
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