DeSantis is expected to chair the Disney County Board of Directors.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis will take control of Florida’s Walt Disney World Special Governor’s Board under a bill introduced Monday as the Republican governor punishes the company for its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Tell” law. gay.”

Republican leaders in Statehouse, in agreement with DeSantis, have launched a special legislative session to restructure the Reedy Creek beautification area, as the Disney government is known.

The proposal would largely leave the county and its capabilities intact, but change its name to the Central Florida Tourism Supervision District and require the governor to appoint a five-member board of supervisors. The members were previously named through entities controlled by Disney.

Lawmakers are also considering a proposal to create a state department dedicated to transporting migrants after the governor sent a group of South American migrants from Texas to Massachusetts last year to protest federal border policy.

The session continues DeSantis’ focus on social issues, including sexual orientation, gender and immigration, as the Republican governor navigates political divisions on his way to a potential 2024 presidential race.

The meeting is the latest development in a high-profile feud between DeSantis and Disney over the company’s criticism of a law criticized as “Don’t Say Gay” that bans teaching sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and the lessons are considered age inappropriate.

The governor, in pursuing Disney, has shown a willingness to punish one of the state’s largest employers and political donors by reinforcing the combative leadership style that propelled him to national political stardom and appealed to conservative voters in the primary.

A spokeswoman for Reedy Creek did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

In addition to Disney, DeSantis is using the special session to promote its national agenda on immigration and election fraud.

Lawmakers are expected to create an Unauthorized Alien Transportation Program in the governor’s office to transport migrants within the country if they have been processed by the federal government.

The law comes after DeSantis last year used part of a $12 million fund paid out by taxpayers to transport about 50 South American migrants from Texas to the resort island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, drawing widespread condemnation.

The flight also raised legal questions, as the governor’s office paid for the trip with money meant to transport migrants from Florida, not from Texas or any other state. The bill, which will be considered by lawmakers, specifies that future flights could move migrants from anywhere in the US.

Another proposal, expected to be passed during the session, would increase the ability of the state’s attorney to bring charges of election-related crimes, which is intended to bolster the power of the new governor’s election police.

DeSantis pushed lawmakers last year to create a law enforcement unit to deal with election crime, solving another problem for conservative voters after the 2020 election. But in the months that followed, some of the division’s charges were dropped by judges due to jurisdictional issues.

The session is expected to give DeSantis a political victory in his fight against Disney, a row that began last year when the entertainment giant publicly opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The company said it would suspend political donations in the state and support organizations opposed to the law.

DeSantis and other Republicans were quick to criticize Disney, calling it a purveyor of “awakened” ideologies unacceptable to children.

At the request of DeSantis, in April, the GOP-dominated state government approved legislation to abolish the government of Disney’s Reedy Creek by June 2023, initiating a carefully controlled process that was supposed to define the structure of the government that controls the company’s vast property.

The creation of Reedy Creek played a major role in Disney’s decision to build a city near Orlando in the 1960s, when company executives told the state they were planning to build a futuristic city, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, also known as Epcot.

The proposed city would include a rapid transit system and urban planning innovation, so Disney needed neighborhood autonomy to build and make decisions about how to use the land, they said. The futuristic city never materialized, instead Epcot became the second theme park, opening in 1982.

Having a separate government allows the Disney government to issue bonds and provide zoning, fire protection, utilities, and infrastructure services on its land. The county’s Republican critics argue that this gives Disney a commercial edge not available to others.

The special session will also amend the language in existing laws regarding college athlete endorsement agreements.

Florida was one of the first states to pass a law allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image, or likeness, but it does not allow people associated with universities to enter into endorsement agreements. The proposal would remove this provision to make Florida more competitive with other states that have no restrictions.

Lawmakers will also consider a bill to allocate additional funds for recovery from hurricanes Iain and Nicole.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

Related Articles

Back to top button