The personas designated by the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, for the executive board of Disney World launched a new andanada in the lucha por controlar el complejo, buscando expandir su autoridad después de que sus predecesores controlados por Disney abdicaran de la mayoría de los poderes the company.
Central Florida Tourism Watch District supervisors file a resolution saying the board has ‘superior authority’ over all land development decisions for the 27,000 acres that make up Walt Disney World, including two small Disney-controlled towns in the district. The board will vote on the resolution next week.
The proposal comes two weeks after board members said their Disney-controlled predecessors were quick to strip the new board of most powers before DeSantis-chosen members could take over. place.
The governor appointed five new supervisors after the Florida Legislature reviewed Disney’s governance in retaliation for the entertainment giant’s public opposition to a state law called “Don’t Say Gay,” which prohibits school education on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten to third grade. . qualification.
The proposed resolution is likely a starting point for future legal disputes between the new board and Disney, said Richard Foglesong, a Rollins College professor emeritus who wrote an account of Disney World governance in his book. , “Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando.
“A key question will be whether a council created by the Legislative Assembly and appointed by the governor can overrule the authority constitutionally granted to democratically elected local governments,” Foglesong said.
By taking on Disney, DeSantis cemented his reputation as a culture warrior willing to battle political opponents and wield the power of state government to achieve political goals. It’s a strategy he’s likely to pursue in his long-awaited run for the White House in 2024.
The new supervisors replaced a board controlled by Disney for the previous 55 years, which operated as the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Among his final acts in February, he gave Disney control over the design and construction of the theme park resort. Reedy Creek board members also prohibited their successors from using the name “Disney” or any symbols associated with the theme park without the company’s permission, and prohibited the new board from ‘use likeness of Mickey Mouse, other Disney characters or other intellectual property rights. .
Experts said the latest proposed resolution will not affect the previous board’s agreement with Disney.
“This is the district controlled by gubernatorial appointees who pass a law in which their land use rules take precedence over city rules, which are still controlled by popular vote (composed entirely of voters from Disney),” said Jacob Schumer, a lawyer who specializes in local government and land use planning.
Two small towns are part of the Disney District. As of the 2020 census, Bay Lake had a population of 29 and Lake Buena Vista had a population of 24. Both municipalities were formed to support the legal framework of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was created by the Florida Legislature in 1967.
Cities have elected councilors and mayors who contract with local law enforcement for policing services at Disney World and could be used to assert corporate autonomy over the resort. City dwellers are employees.