'He's Going to Have the Last Laugh': DeSantis Reportedly Set to Thwart Disney's Last-Minute 'Poison Pill'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not backing down in his efforts to tame the powerful Disney behemoth.
DeSantis, with the support of Florida lawmakers, created a new board to oversee the properties that Disney has managed as essentially a self-governing entity.
However, the former board, before being disbanded by the one DeSantis created, took action that neutered the new board.
DeSantis is now ready to launch his counter attack, according to the New York Post.
“What they tried to do is an embarrassment. The narrative the left is spinning is that Gov. DeSantis was outmaneuvered. But this is far from over, and he’s going to have the last laugh,” the Post quoted what it said was a “senior administration source” it did not name.
The Post report framed the former board’s action as an illegal “poison pill” to prevent the state from taking control.
“They got used to doing whatever they wanted for far too long. Not this time,” the Post quoted another source it did not name as saying.
“He’s not afraid of a fight on this,” the source said, speaking of DeSantis.
According to WTVT-TV, last week DeSantis said that “round two of fireworks” were coming in his battle with Disney.
DeSantis scheduled a Monday announcement to provide the details.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the entity created to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District that had been in place, will meet Wednesday, according to TheStreet.
The report by TheStreet said the DeSantis tactic will be to allege “there are criminal actions to be taken against the Walt Disney World staff and former RCID board members themselves.”
Disney rejects that contention.
“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” Disney said in a statement.
The district will seek to “remove from office and terminate all Planning and Zoning Board members and appoint the Board of Supervisors to serve as the local planning agency of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District,” according to its agenda. That would expand the new board’s control over Disney’s Florida empire.
According to a report in the Federalist, DeSantis will also be arguing that the action that robbed the new board of any real power did not follow required steps, making the action illegal.
The site said that a requirement to send notices of public hearings to all property owners who could be affected was not followed.
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