DeSantis Takes Aim at Disney World’s Self-Governing Status Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’
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Gov. Ron DeSantis made the next move in an ugly fight with The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday, announcing that the state legislature is set to consider a bill that would end all self-governing “independent special districts” in Florida formed before 1968. The Republican-controlled body, convening in a special session this week, will consider dissolving at least five districts with autonomous control over land use and infrastructure, including the Reedy Creek Improvement District, where Orlando’s Walt Disney World is housed. Disney secured permission from Florida’s government to establish Reedy Creek in 1967, exempting the 40-square-mile property from most state regulations. The calculated signal of escalated tensions from DeSantis, who has said he considers Disney overly “woke” for enforcing policies like mask-wearing at its parks, comes after Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s announcement that he’d support the repeal of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prevents the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Chapek’s letter followed a company-wide walkout over Disney’s history of donating to sponsors and supporters of the bill.