Ron DeSantis Demands Investigation into Disney Special District

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Facts

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested a “thorough review and investigation” into the legality of an agreement reached between Walt Disney World and the board overseeing the Reedy Creek Improvement District in February this year.1
  • The special district’s board had been replaced by new appointees picked by DeSantis himself. However, it has been revealed that the previous board reached an agreement with Walt Disney World to make any future committee’s power redundant.2
  • Writing to his chief inspector general, Melinda Miguel, DeSantis alleged the agreement had “inadequate notice… improper delegation of authority violations… [and] conflicts of interest and self-dealing”.3
  • DeSantis’ new board, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, was made aware last week of the agreement, which had been signed on Feb. 8th and prohibits most decision-making unless consented to by Disney.4
  • The Reedy Creek Improvement District had been dissolved and replaced following its opposition to Florida’s “Don’t say gay” law. The legislation banned what it deemed as age-inappropriate lessons on gender and sexual orientation between kindergarten and the third grade.5
  • DeSantis had already stripped Disney of its tax-exemption in April 2022. The company's CEO Bob Iger has stated that DeSantis’ actions seem “wrong” and an attempt to punish the “exercise of a constitutional right”.6

Sources: 1NBC, 2Forbes, 3The hollywood reporter, 4Washington examiner, 5CBS and 6Axios.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Orlando sentinel. While DeSantis has continued to present himself as a victor against ‘woke’ corporations, Disney is  — to the amusement of many — ruining the fairy tale ending that the Florida Governor desired in the lead-up to the Republican Presidential nomination. Having been made to look a fool, DeSantis is now doubling down on the issue of Disney with the selfish intention of publicly asserting authority to defend his political prospects.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Fox news. The agreement made by Disney and the previously-existing board is a bizarre one that employed a royal legal clause dating back to Great Britain in 1692. With a new board having been set up by DeSantis, it is likely that this agreement will be found to be legally void, as it was clearly made to subvert legitimate intervention on social issues and the protection of minors in the US.

Predictions