NewsNation

Sen. Rick Scott urges resolution in Disney-DeSantis feud

(NewsNation) — The Walt Disney Co. and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remain locked in a bitter fight over control of the Orlando theme park, with neither side apparently ready to give in.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., says “cooler heads must prevail” in the feud.


Scott joined “The Hill on NewsNation” Wednesday to discuss the conflict, as well as an upset Democratic win in the Jacksonville mayoral race and his own reelection bid.

“(Disney has) worked hard to build a place where people want to come to, so I think we’ve got to figure out a way forward here to bring everybody back to the table so we can continue to grow tourism, grow jobs and give opportunities for people,” Scott said of the Disney-DeSantis feud.

The feud began last year when Disney voiced opposition to Florida legislation that would bar classroom instruction on gender identity and sexuality for kids in kindergarten through third grade. Disney said it would support organizations working to oppose the new law, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” by critics, and suspend political donations in the state.

The law ultimately passed, and a month later, DeSantis signed a bill stripping Disney of its self-government power established under the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Then earlier this year, Republican legislators dramatically overhauled the governance framework of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, or RCID.

Under the new legislation, DeSantis appoints the five members who make up the supervisory board overseeing the district. Previously, those members had been chosen by Disney-controlled entities.

In March, board members picked by DeSantis to oversee the governance of Disney World said that their Disney-controlled predecessors pulled a fast one on them by passing restrictive covenants that strip the new board of many of its powers.

Disney and DeSantis are now locked in a legal battle over who ultimately retains oversight authority over the park.

Noting he had a good working relationship with Disney when he was governor, Scott urged a resolution to protect Florida’s tourism industry.

“I’m a business guy, so what I always did was sit down with people and I talk to them and I tried to work through issues. I think it starts with everybody involved sitting around a table and saying, ‘how do we go forward?'” Scott said.

The Florida senator is running for a second term and so far faces a primary challenge from only Keith Gross, a state prosecutor.

NewsNation writer Devan Markham contributed to this report.