A Walt Disney WorldDisney World photographer holds a Pride rainbow-colored Mickey Mouse cutout during the Festival of Fantasy parade at Walt Disney WorldDisney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, July 30, 2022. PHOTO REUTERS Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that takes control of a special tax district surrounding Walt Disney WorldDisney World that Walt Disney Co allowed for half a century to operate with a high degree of autonomy.
The corporate kingdom will finally come to an end, DeSantis said during a press conference at Lake Buena Vista near Orlando.
State Republicans targeted Disney last year after it publicly clashed with DeSantis, who is widely considered to be running for president in 2024, over a law that restricts classroom instruction of gender and sexual orientation, known as the Don't Say Gay measure.
In March, Disney's then- chief executive officer Bob Chapek publicly voiced his disappointment at the bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in schools, saying he called DeSantis to express concern about the legislation becoming law.
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In a move that political observers viewed as retaliation for Disney's view on the Don t Say Gay measure, Florida lawmakers passed a bill that allows the governor to appoint five supervisors to oversee traditional municipal services, such as fire protection, public utilities, waste collection and road maintenance in the region where Disney World operates. The quasi-government entity has the authority to raise revenue to pay outstanding debt and cover the cost of services.
We have a situation here that is basically indefensible from a policy perspective, DeSantis said. How do you give a theme park its own government and then treat all the other theme parks differently? We believe that that was not good policy. A Disney spokesman didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.
Speakers at the bill-signing ceremony included a parent who criticized Disney for speaking out against the state's education bill, saying the company chose the wrong side of the moral argument. Another person who identified himself as a longtime Disney theme park employee took issue with the company's policies regarding vaccines.
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Disney World is the largest employer in central Florida with close to 75,000 employees and had 36.2 million visitors in the year 2021, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.
Disney shares were up 0.4 percent on Monday.