Ron DeSantis signs bill STRIPPING Disney’s control of Reedy Creek district

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially took control of Disney’s Reedy Creek on Monday.

DeSantis signed the bill that gives him power over the formerly self-governing, special tax district encompassing the entire Walt Disney World Resort.

It comes as the governor and Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis admitted the ‘irony’ that they got married at Disney in 2009 and now are in a battle with the ‘woke‘ corporation.

DeSantis celebrated with the stroke of his pen marking the Disney ‘corporate kingdom coming to an end’ as he vowed to make the company pay its fair share of taxes – including in backpay when the district was established in 1967.

‘Disney loses self-governing status, the State of Florida is the new sheriff in town,’ he said at a press briefing Monday.

‘Buckle up – there’s a lot to get done,’ DeSantis added.

Ron DeSantis signed the bill Monday that will move to dissolve the current Reedy Creek board and overhaul the entire formerly self-governing district where Walt Disney World sits

DeSantis celebrated at a press conference that the law brings Disney’s ‘corporate kingdom coming to an end’

The new law, DeSantis said, essentially makes sure that Disney does not get any special treatment that other theme parks in the state are not receiving.

He said that the establishments of Reedy Creek in the 1960’s created an ‘unhealthy’ relationship where Disney and Florida government were ‘attached at the hip.’

Previously, Reedy Creek Improvement District was able to act with the same authority as a county government, making its own rules and governing itself.

Now, DeSantis is taking the power back from Disney to on Monday announced the appointment of a five-member board to oversee the nearly 40-square mile area in Orlando.

‘I got a lot on my plate, I can’t be running this from the governor’s office,’ DeSantis said. ‘So we’ve created a state governing board that is going to be responsible for governing this area.’

‘They’ve got a lot of work to do,’ he added. ‘They know that our vision is. OK, yes, Disney no longer has its own government, but you’ve got to ensure that all of these laws are applied, you’ve got to ensure the debt is paid, you’ve got to ensure the fair share of taxes are paid.’

The new law on Monday brings to a head a culmination of a nearly year-long battle between DeSantis and Disney stemming from passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill.

Disney’s then CEO Bob Chapek released a statement condemning DeSantis for the law, which critics have dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill because it restricts educators from including in their curriculum discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.

Walt Disney World sits on grounds governed by Reedy Creek, which functions as its own little government with taking care of roads, providing fire services and handling building codes and water and waste collection.

Ron and Casey DeSantis discussed the ‘irony’ in a Monday interview of getting married at Walt Disney World as the Florida governor is now in an on-going battle with the ‘woke’ corporation

The board was previously always dictated by landowners within the district, creating a system that the rest of the state felt was unfair.

The new board, however, is composed of businessmen, lawyers and school board members from across the state. They are scheduled to meet for the first time next Wednesday.

One of the priorities, DeSantis said, is making sure that first responders are properly compensated in the district. 

Reedy Creek, which will officially be dissolved on June 1, is also getting a new name – the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

‘How do you give one theme park its own government and then treat all the other theme parks differently?’ DeSantis questioned during his press conference on Monday.

‘Disney is gonna be treated like Sea World is treated, or like any of these others,’ he added. ‘And that’s really the fair thing to do.’

‘So I’ll be signing the bill momentarily and that will officially end the self-governing status here in Central Florida for Disney.’

Shortly after his remarks, DeSantis signed the bill on-camera surrounded by those who will be serving on the new board.