Authoritarianism is harder than it looks.
That’s the lesson Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should take from his attempt to punish Disney for its opposition to a bigoted law banning classroom references to LGBTQ people.
Last year, DeSantis urged Republicans in the state Legislature to strip Disney of its special district status in Orlando after the company came out against what critics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” law. DeSantis’ anti-Disney crusade may have garnered him praise in conservative circles, but the plan largely unraveled and he was ultimately forced to settle for a compromise punishment.
New reporting suggests Disney and Florida officials found a way to effectively neuter even this plan — before it could be fully implemented.
But now, new reporting suggests Disney and Florida officials found a way to effectively neuter even this plan — before it could be fully implemented.
Rather than strip Disney of its special status outright, state legislators in February passed a law creating a new board, with members hand-picked by DeSantis. The board oversees the special district formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, that allowed Walt Disney World to make its own planning and zoning decisions. Predictably, DeSantis loaded the board with people like this conspiracy theorist, who reportedly claimed that estrogen water contamination could be turning people gay.
The new board was still a bad setup for Disney, but allowing the company to keep its special district status at all was a retreat of sorts from DeSantis’ initial, illiberal position.
But a newly revealed document shows outgoing board members declared in February that Disney must retain its influence over any future changes to properties in its special district.
As NBC News reported:
The Feb. 8 document, first reported by the Orlando Sentinel, grants Disney “prior review and comment” over any changes made to…
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