(NewsNation) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the state will consider stripping Disney of its self-government power during the Florida state legislature’s special session Tuesday.
“They also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968 and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District,” DeSantis said.
Some, however, believe DeSantis’ proposal is political retribution, punishing Disney for speaking out against the governor’s “Parental Rights in Education” law that has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“They are applying this bill only to affect Reedy Creek and not The Villages. They are punishing Disney for speaking out against them on ‘Don’t Say Gay,'” said Democratic State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith from Orlando.
The true question, however, is whether DeSantis wants to pick a fight with what is arguably his state’s most lucrative entity. Tony Katz, an award-winning radio host, appeared Tuesday on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vitter” to discuss the issue.
Disney indisputably dominates the Central Florida tourism industry. A 2019 study from Oxford Economics says they produced $75.2 billion in annual economic impact for Central Florida. The study also found that 41 percent of the region’s workforce is in tourism, which generated $5.8 billion in local and state tax revenue.
On the other hand, the Trafalgar Group’s new National Issues Survey on Disney found that 69 percent of respondents were likely to support “family-friendly alternatives” to Disney.
