“How is this not blackmail?” said Scott Randolph, the Orange County tax collector. “Why would a company want to invest in Florida when the whole rules can change in 72 hours? To me, this is a scary message about the Florida business environment.”
Randy Fine, the Republican legislator who sponsored the bill to end Disney’s special self-government privileges, said the agreement gave the company the right to seize private property, build a nuclear power plant. and ignore zoning and security codes. The real problem for Disney, he said, was about “control — this isn’t really about money.”
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As it became increasingly clear this week that the measure would take effect, some Floridians expressed growing concern about the fiscal implications, although it is not yet certain what they will ultimately be.
While the new law ostensibly removes major benefits for Disney, such as issuing its own building permits, Democrats warn it leaves Central Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties behind for some $163 million in annual taxes. Others, including Mr. Randolph, warned that local property owners could see significant increases in property taxes.
Disney paid itself taxes and used the money to pay for things like police and firefighters. Now Orange County says it will have to pay for municipal theme park services that Disney paid through Reedy Creek, the special tax district that the legislature eliminated.
“Obviously, this is political retaliation,” Orange County mayor Jerry Demings told reporters. “We’re trying to understand what the legislature is trying to do in this case, but I believe they haven’t given enough thought to the implications of what they’ve proposed at this point.”
Mr. DeSantis, for his part, insisted that Disney “pay more taxes” and stated that “we’ve thought about everything”.
