星空传媒

Skip to main content

'Corporate kingdom' of Walt Disney World ended by Florida governor

The newly painted Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is seen with the the crest to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the theme park Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) The newly painted Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is seen with the the crest to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the theme park Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Share

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that takes control of a special tax district surrounding Walt Disney World that for half a century allowed Walt Disney Co. operate with a high degree of autonomy.

鈥淭he corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,鈥 DeSantis said during a press event at Lake Buena Vista near Orlando.

State Republicans last year targeted Disney 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 by its opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" measure.

In March, Disney鈥檚 then-chief executive officer, Bob Chapek, publicly voiced disappointment with the bill limiting LGBTQ2S+ discussion in schools, saying he called DeSantis to express concern about the legislation becoming law.

In a move political observers viewed as retaliation for Disney's view on the 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥 measure, Florida lawmakers this month passed a bill, which DeSantis signed into law, that authorizes the governor to appoint five supervisors to oversee traditional municipal services, such a fire protection, public utilities, waste collection and road maintenance in the region where Disney World operates. The quasi-government entity also has the authority to raise revenue to pay outstanding debt and cover the cost of services.

"We have a situation here that was basically indefensible from a policy perspective," DeSantis said. "How do you give one theme park its own government and then treat all the other theme parks differently? We believe that that was not good policy."

A spokesperson for Disney did not immediately respond 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 vaccinations.

Disney World is the largest employer in central Florida with close to 75,000 employees and drew 36.2 million visitors in 2021, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.

Disney shares were up 0.4% on Monday.

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski)

CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

Stay Connected