Florida Gov. DeSantis signs bill to transfer Disney area to state control

Disney officially has a “new sheriff in town” after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that would bring the Mouse House Special Tax District under state control.

The Republican-backed bill renames Disney’s self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District to the “Central Florida Tourism Supervision District.”

DeSantis gained the right to appoint members of the five-member Supervisory Board for the Special District, a power previously held by Disney.

“Today, the corporate kingdom is finally coming to an end,” DeSantis said at the bill’s signing ceremony. “There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability will be on the agenda.”

Disney will be required to comply with state rules in the county, where it previously operated almost autonomously for decades. The final bill keeps the county intact after DeSantis and other Republican officials initially called for its complete dissolution.

The bill’s signing was the culmination of a months-long feud between DeSantis and Disney after the company and its former CEO Bob Chapek publicly opposed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” parental rights law, which bans teachers in the state from discussing gender identity or sexual orientation with students under fourth grade.

The Post has reached out to Disney for comment.

The campaign marked a political victory for DeSantis, whose high-profile war of words with Disney helped raise his national profile ahead of the 2024 presidential election. DeSantis won a large following in the Republican Party by opposing “awakening” ideology in business, culture, and education.

He is considered the frontrunner in the GOP nomination, although he has not officially entered the race yet.

A major renovation led by DeSantis cost Disney control of the area, which he effectively controlled as a state within a state for decades. Under the old agreement, Disney had the ability to levy taxes, issue bonds, exercise control over government services such as the police and fire department, and even build his own nuclear power plant in the area if he wanted to.

The bill left the county’s promissory notes and other financial structures unchanged. DeSantis promised at a press conference earlier this month that the changes would not result in additional tax burdens for Florida residents.

The pledge was made after some critics suggested that the overhaul would shift Disney’s debt burden onto the taxpayers.

“Disney is going to pay its fair share of taxes, and Disney is going to pay off the debt, and that’s exactly what this proposed legislation will do,” DeSantis said.

The changes to its special tax district mark another setback for Disney, which is in the process of being reorganized under CEO Bob Iger. The company recently announced a major cost-cutting plan that included laying off 7,000 people.

Disney is also facing opposition from its corporate employees due to Iger’s mandate that they must return to the office at least four days a week.

With mail wires