There is a new wrinkle in the ongoing battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company.
On Friday, Mr. DeSantis introduced a bill that would allow a board overseeing Disney World’s government services to nullify development agreements that had already been approved for the resort.
For now, at least, the new law is a relatively minor development in the ongoing dispute between Mr. DeSantis and Disney over the possible expansion of the company’s 25,000-acre theme park resort near Orlando. That’s because Disney and the board have already sued each other over the development deals; the case is essentially on hold, awaiting consideration by the judicial system.
Disney declined to comment Friday.
The development deals were approved by a previous Disney-controlled iteration of the board. The current board, made up of members appointed by Mr. DeSantis this year, claims the agreements are illegal and voted to nullify them.
Last week, Disney sued the board and Mr. DeSantis in federal court, alleging “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.” On Monday, the board filed a lawsuit in state court as part of its effort to nullify the agreements.
The Florida legislature passed the bill Thursday. Originally, Disney was not involved. As introduced in early March, the purpose of the bill was to update the requirements for comprehensive land use planning by municipalities. At the urging of Mr. DeSantis, the portion applicable to Disney was added last month. Democrats opposed the amendment, saying it set a dangerous precedent for state interference in individual company contracts.
“Besides the Disney drama, let’s just talk about canceling a contract you don’t like,” Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative from the Orlando area, said during the debate.
The conflict between Mr. DeSantis and Disney began last March, when Disney along with other companies criticized a controversial state education law that, among other things, prohibits discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity for young students in the classroom. (Opponents labeled it “Don’t say gay”.) Mr. DeSantis and his Republican allies in the Florida legislature immediately began attacking Disney as an “awakened” corporation and began efforts to curtail its long-held autonomy in the state.
They targeted a special tax district created in 1967 that effectively turned Disney World into its own county. It gave Disney unusual control over fire protection, policing, waste management, road maintenance, bond issuance — and, crucially, real estate development planning.
In February, lawmakers stripped Disney of control of the district’s five-member board and turned it over to the governor. However, when Mr. DeSantis’ appointees came forward, they were angered to discover that the outgoing board had approved certain development agreements, limiting the power of the new board for decades to come.
One of the agreements gives Disney the ability to build an additional 14,000 hotel rooms, a fifth theme park and three smaller parks. The other restricts the use of adjacent land; no strip clubs for example. Disney World already has four theme parks, two water parks, 18 Disney-owned hotels, a shopping center and a 220-acre sports complex.
