The long-running war between Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney executives continues to intensify.
DeSantis, out for revenge after suffering a major loss in his efforts to punish Disney for being “woke,” announced a new bill to rein in Disney’s theme parks Tuesday. In a return to the issue that first earned it the governor’s ire, the “Happiest Place on Earth” unveiled its first-ever event to celebrate Pride Month on Tuesday, complete with themed entertainment and specialty menu items.
It’s the latest development in the culture war between DeSantis and Disney executives, who last year publicly opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prevents teachers from talking about LGBTQ+ issues or people.
Disney got the best of DeSantis a few weeks ago after it managed to quietly disenfranchise the governor’s newly created state board that oversees the company’s special tax district, under which it has been able to develop and maintain its theme parks with relative independence.
Now DeSantis is striking back at Mickey Mouse in the form of a bill that would require new inspections of Walt Disney World rides and the monorail connecting its theme parks and hotels. He also suggested the new state board could convert land in and around the Orlando theme parks into a state park, a competing amusement park, or a state prison — and that the board should investigate raising taxes on Disney.
Disney is “not superior to the laws that are enacted by the people of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said at a press conference Tuesday near Disney World.
It’s not clear whether the bill, which will likely be passed in the final weeks of the Florida legislative session, would impose that much of a burden on Disney. To the extent that DeSantis is concerned with combating corporate “woke” culture, “I don’t see how putting additional regulations on a monorail does that,” said Maya Brown, a Democratic strategist in Florida.
Disney did…
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