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DeSantis’ Disney Board Might Be Powerless Thanks to Company’s Chess Move

The Florida governor has taken over a district Disney once governed, but a last-minute move by the old board may have stripped DeSantis’ allies of the power they hoped to wield.

Ron DeSantis’ Disney takeover may have hit a fatal road bump, reports suggest. The board he handpicked to run DisneyWorld’s government services may be powerless to actually do anything thanks to a last-minute move by Disney, and they’re considering a legal battle. The Walt Disney Company quietly passed a 30-year development agreement effectively rendering the new board powerless, DeSantis’ cronies are arguing. The previous board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved a measure on Feb. 8 that allows Disney to build projects at the highest density and assign development rights without any input from the new board, while also preventing the district from using the Disney name or its famous characters without approval. That’s valid until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England,” according to a document. A spokesperson for DeSantis said the move is a “last-ditch” effort to prevent transferring “rights and authorities” from Disney to the district. Meanwhile, Disney stands by its move. “All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” the company said in a statement. But the war isn’t over. The new board of supervisors voted to bring in outside legal help, including a right-wing law firm who has frequently sided with DeSantis.