Defeated by Disney in an attempt to punish the company for criticizing him, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced a new push to crack down on entertainment companies by putting rides under state supervision — even though the company’s ride inspection regime has been tightened. of state law requires.
“The monorail is released! They exempt monorails from safety standards or inspections,” DeSantis said at a news conference, without indicating that all theme parks with 1,000 or more employees are exempt from state inspections, not just Disney.
DeSantis, who is expected to announce his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination after the end of the legislative session on May 5, said that lawmakers in a few weeks will still pass a bill that imposes state inspections on Disney while also canceling Disney’s last-minute act. Restrictions and long-term development plans that effectively neutered DeSantis’ efforts to take control of its taxing district.
“It won’t work. It won’t fly,” he said. “There’s a bill that’s going to be introduced in the Florida legislature that will make sure that the deal that Disney is going to have is going to be canceled.”
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What’s more, he said the site he chooses could use the land it currently occupies — land the original Disney bought and turned over to the Reedy Creek taxing district over the years — however they see fit, including a new state prison there.
“Come to think of it, what should we do with this land?” said. “Maybe build a national park. Maybe try to make another amusement park. Some even say, like, maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I just think that the possibilities are endless.
Walt Disney Co. did not respond to HuffPost’s inquiries.
The company is known for its safety and security standards in its parks, with inspection protocols that exceed those of local and state governments, under the theory that injuries and deaths on property and rides cause massive reputational damage that tarnishes the brand. .
DeSantis did not express concern about Disney’s ability to pay its own taxes and manage its own properties through his gubernatorial campaign or through his first three years in office. During that time, his political committee received $106,809 in cash and donations from the entertainment giant, while the state Republican Party he controlled received $1,826,801.
But the company angered DeSantis last year after it criticized legislation DeSantis supported — dubbed the “Don’t Talk Gay” bill by critics — and said it would freeze political donations in the state. Just a few weeks later, DeSantis had quietly drafted and rammed through a bill that dissolved the special taxing district that lawmakers passed in the 1960s to encourage companies to build the massive Walt Disney World theme park outside of Orlando.
It would increase taxes on every property owner in Orange and Osceola counties once it goes into effect — an unintended consequence that lawmakers and DeSantis hadn’t initially considered — so DeSantis pushed a second bill in February that repealed last year’s law and renamed it to be the governing council. and gave DeSantis, rather than Disney, the power to appoint a member.
The original place that Disney chose, although, in a meeting before the Florida lawmakers passed the new law, gave up all the power of development to the Disney company itself until 21 years ago after the last descendant of King Charles III was alive. death – a period that can span a century.
DeSantis claimed Monday that his only interest is in making sure Disney operates under the same laws that govern other tourist attractions. “We are a government of law, not a government of individuals, or even a corporate government based in California,” he said.
But he has undermined that claim in the past with statements explaining that he will go after Disney for opposing him and his policies. He reiterated that sentiment on Monday: “We have to keep fighting.”