Disney’s worst nightmare in Florida comes true as Gov. Ron DeSantis seizes control of special district

The law, introduced in a special legislative session, gives DeSantis the power to appoint all five board members of the formerly named Reedy Creek Improvement District, pending senate approval. The legislation also removes some of the district’s sweeping powers but keeps in place its obligation to about $1 billion of outstanding bonds.

The new board will “make sure the debt is retired properly, maybe even accelerating retiring the debt,” DeSantis said in a press conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, part of the 38.5 square miles (99.7 square kilometers) of land that houses Disney’s Florida theme parks. 

DeSantis, 44, says he would like to see the special district dissolved altogether at some point as long as there’s “no burden to taxpayers.”

The district was also renamed by the law and will now be called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. 

DeSantis announced the makeup of the new five-person governing board that is expected to meet for the first time next week. The new chair will be Martin Garcia, a Tampa-based businessman, he said.

DeSantis pushed for the new structure for the board after a dispute last year between Disney and the governor over the company’s critique of a law he supported that restricted discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools. 

“We want our kids to be able to enjoy entertainment without having an agenda imposed on them,” DeSantis said.

His feud against Disney is part of a larger strategy to bolster his national presence ahead of an expected 2024 presidential bid, which DeSantis hasn’t yet announced. He’s launching a book this week and met with 150 donors in Palm Beach over the weekend, while targeting what he’s ridiculed as a so-called woke agenda supporting environmental, social and governance principals.