Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated she had no “plan” to read Governor Ron DeSantis’s (R., Fl.) op-ed defending recent legislation that would override Disney’s favorable tax status in Florida.
“So I’m going to be very honest with you,” Jean-Pierre said. “I haven’t read the opinion, and frankly I don’t intend to.”
“So we are not going to play political games. That’s not something we do here. We will remain very focused, laser-focused on delivering for the American people. And I’m not going to read that op-ed,” the press secretary added.
DeSantis’ op-ed explained why the governor signed into law Monday ending Disney’s “self-government status over 43 miles of central Florida,” which is “an area nearly the size of Miami.”
“The Disney special arrangement, which dates back to 1967, was an indefensible example of social welfare. It provided the company with favorable tax treatment, including the ability to assess its own property valuations and enjoy the benefits of regional infrastructure improvements without paying taxes on the projects,” DeSantis wrote in the Wall Street Journal Tuesday.
The bill authorizes the governor to appoint a five-person board responsible for overseeing the delivery of government services at Disney’s sprawling park.
“Today, the business kingdom finally comes to an end,” Governor DeSantis said during the signing of the bill Monday. “There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability will be the order of the day.”
Many believe DeSantis targeted Disney for his opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act, which sought to curtail the teaching of progressive gender ideologies in public elementary schools. Critics called the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek previously lobbied DeSantis to express the company’s “disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly discriminate against gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender children and families.” to attack.”
However, the pleas fell on deaf ears and DeSantis ultimately refused to agree.
DeSantis concluded his op-ed by pledging to “make Florida the state where the economy is thriving because we are the state where the vigil is going to die.”
