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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office denied a bombshell report Friday morning claiming that state lawmakers were considering reversing their earlier fight with Walt Disney World, insisting the state will still punish Disney for opposing its policies, and saying the Republican governor “does not make ‘U-turns.’”
The Financial Times reported Friday that Florida lawmakers are drafting a “compromise bill” to prevent Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special district that governs Walt Disney World, from being dissolved in June—backtracking after the legislators were the ones who moved to get rid of the special district in the first place.
The reported compromise would let Disney keep Reedy Creek in place largely as it is but add some “modifications,” the FT reports, with state Sen. Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) suggesting that could include DeSantis being allowed to appoint some members of the Reedy Creek board and barring Disney from taking dramatic steps like building an airport or nuclear plant, as the Reedy Creek agreement now allows.
DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin denied the FT report in a statement to Forbes, saying a plan to dissolve Reedy Creek “is in the works and will be released soon.”
Reedy Creek is set to be dissolved on June 1, 2023, if the legislature does not take action before then, under the terms of the law the state enacted in April after Disney opposed HB 1557 or Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The reports of a potential about-face comes after Bob Iger was reinstated as Disney’s CEO on November 20, ousting former CEO Bob Chapek, who had sparked the feud with Disney over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the first place.
Iger, who also publicly opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, told employees last week he was “sorry to see us dragged into that battle” over Reedy Creek, and “the state of Florida has been important to us for a long time and we have been very important to the state of Florida”—comments that sources cited by the FT said were viewed as a good “olive branch” toward a compromise.
www.forbes.com
The Financial Times reported Friday that Florida lawmakers are drafting a “compromise bill” to prevent Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special district that governs Walt Disney World, from being dissolved in June—backtracking after the legislators were the ones who moved to get rid of the special district in the first place.
The reported compromise would let Disney keep Reedy Creek in place largely as it is but add some “modifications,” the FT reports, with state Sen. Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) suggesting that could include DeSantis being allowed to appoint some members of the Reedy Creek board and barring Disney from taking dramatic steps like building an airport or nuclear plant, as the Reedy Creek agreement now allows.
DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin denied the FT report in a statement to Forbes, saying a plan to dissolve Reedy Creek “is in the works and will be released soon.”
Reedy Creek is set to be dissolved on June 1, 2023, if the legislature does not take action before then, under the terms of the law the state enacted in April after Disney opposed HB 1557 or Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The reports of a potential about-face comes after Bob Iger was reinstated as Disney’s CEO on November 20, ousting former CEO Bob Chapek, who had sparked the feud with Disney over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the first place.
Iger, who also publicly opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, told employees last week he was “sorry to see us dragged into that battle” over Reedy Creek, and “the state of Florida has been important to us for a long time and we have been very important to the state of Florida”—comments that sources cited by the FT said were viewed as a good “olive branch” toward a compromise.
DeSantis Denies Reports That Florida Lawmakers Are Backtracking On Punishing Disney
The special district that governs Walt Disney World is set to be dissolved in June unless lawmakers take action to stop it.
www.forbes.com
