Disney thought that it could pick a fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
They came to regret that catastrophic mistake.
And Ron DeSantis took one victory that left Disney’s CEO seething with rage.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the one-year anniversary of his decision to dissolve Walt Disney World’s special governing district, Reedy Creek, by taking a victory lap on social media.
For decades, Florida law gave Disney special privileges to govern the area in and around the Disney World theme park in Central Florida.
The Florida Governor signed legislation that replaced the Reedy Creek board, which was controlled by Disney, with the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board.
The resort had a corrupt deal with Florida’s government for decades that gave it special self-government privileges that no other business in the state had.
The media had a meltdown over the move and claimed it was in retaliation for Disney attacking DeSantis over his parental rights law that outlawed students in grades K-3 from being taught radical gender ideologies and sexual orientation.
Critics predicted that dissolving Reedy Creek would be a disaster for residents in the area and that it would eventually be overturned in court.
Ron DeSantis celebrates his win over Disney and his critics
Disney fought the move in court, but its legal challenges came up short.
A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by Disney in late January that claimed that DeSantis violated the company’s First Amendment rights by dissolving Reedy Creek.
DeSantis used the video to mock his critics who predicted Disney would come out on top.
“One year ago, I signed legislation ending what an independent audit found to be one of the worst examples of cronyism in modern U.S. history: Reedy Creek, a local government controlled by a single company; Disney,” DeSantis said. “While so many claimed ending the cronyism would be bad for Florida, the result has been transparency and accountability, including a reduction of taxes and local businesses being allowed to compete for projects, saving the district millions of dollars.”
One year ago, I signed legislation ending what an independent audit found to be one of the worst examples of cronyism in modern U.S. history: Reedy Creek, a local government controlled by a single company; Disney.
While so many claimed ending the cronyism would be bad for… pic.twitter.com/RMPz5Qkyy8
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 27, 2024
DeSantis critics were proven wrong in the Disney fight
The Florida Governor’s video featured journalists claiming that taxes would go up for residents because of Disney’s special deal ending.
That never happened and taxes were lowered as a result of the deal ending.
Clips were played of journalists claiming that Disney was getting the upper hand against DeSantis.
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis learned an important lesson this week: Don’t mess with the Mouse,” NBC’s Chuck Todd said.
The final part of the video included clips of the media admitting that DeSantis was beating Disney and the Governor explaining how he did it.
Ron DeSantis proved in his fight with Disney that he is one of the most effective conservative leaders in decades.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
