The new board installed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Disney World’s special taxing district plans to fight back against the entertainment giant’s legal maneuver stripping it of its power.
DeSantis moved to take over the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District, after Disney’s opposition to a Florida law prohibiting instruction relating to sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s schools.
But “the Mouse went medieval” and DeSantis “got played,” according to Jason Greer of Greer Consulting, Inc., which specializes in labor relations and workforce diversity management.
“DeSantis was on top of the world back in February. He successfully stripped Disney of its self-governing power in Florida, even going as far as declaring himself the ‘new sheriff in town’,” Greer said.
“While Gov. DeSantis was making the media rounds, proudly high-fiving his base in the ongoing ‘woke’ wars with Disney, the Mouse was holed up in Disney’s legal library plotting his vengeance,” Greer said.
A Feb. 8 agreement with the outgoing board, stripping the body of most of its powers, will be effective for decades thanks to an obscure property law known as the Rule Against Perpetuities. The agreement remains in effect until “twenty one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England living as of the date of this Declaration.”
“This is a terrible look for a governor with aspirations to be president. He picked a fight with Disney and essentially lost the entire state,” Greer said. “Disney is now the most powerful entity in Florida.”
TMX contributed to this story.
