Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that gives him new power over the Walt Disney Company by ending the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the government body that provided the entertainment giant unique powers in Central Florida for more than half a century, CNN reported.
The bill permits the governor to replace the district's existing board, currently most of whom have connections to Disney, with a five-member body that DeSantis selects.
"Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end," DeSantis said at Reedy Creek Fire Station No. 4 on Disney property, where he signed the bill. "This is what accountability looks like," he said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The move comes after Disney took a public stance last year against the Republican-led legislature's Parental Rights in Education law, which critics called the "Don't Say Gay" bill, according to CNN.
The law restricts certain classroom teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity.
The new board, to which DeSantis has already made appointments, is scheduled to meet next week, he said, "so buckle up."
In a statement to CNN after the bill passed the state legislature earlier this month, Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle said the company was "ready to work within this new framework, and we will continue to innovate, inspire and bring joy to the millions of guests who come to Florida to visit Walt Disney World each year."
DeSantis said Monday: "Disney came out against something that was really just about protecting young kids, and making sure that students are able to go to school learning to read, write, add, subtract, and not having a teacher tell them that they can change their gender."
DeSantis added: "I think most parents agree with that."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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