Michael McLeod
No problem Jim. That may have looked like it was directed at you personally, but it was more a matter of my frustration about how things get politicized so quickly. In this case you are looking at a governor who is grooming himself as a presidential candidate and getting lots of free ink towards that end.
Here is a story about what happened that is, odd as it may be to imagine, about just the facts.
Remember Dragnet? And was the character Sgt. Friday? And wasn't his tagline, uttered in a dry, no-nonsense monotone: "Just the facts, maam"?
Words to live by. Or used to be.
Having said that, here's the story. This is from the Orlando Sentinel.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he would be “receptive” to the Legislature making changes to Disney’s unique self-governing district for Walt Disney World, clarifying comments he made Thursday calling for an end to the company’s “special privileges.”
“As the governor, I could be presented with changes to that,” DeSantis said in Titusville. “And I think I’ve said I’d be receptive to that. But ultimately, the Legislature would have to move forward. So I know that there’s a lot of discussion about that. And we’ll just see how that shakes out.”
But he also said that the many state tax breaks awarded to Disney, such as the $570 million in incentives for its new regional hub in Orlando’s Lake Nona community, applied to all businesses equally and he was not looking to end them.
DeSantis’ comments came amid a major feud between the Walt Disney Co. and DeSantis over Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s condemnation of what opponents call the ‘don’t say gay’ bill signed earlier this week.
State Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, tweeted that lawmakers have met twice to discuss repealing the 1967 state law that allowed Walt Disney World to establish its own independent government through the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
DeSantis railed against the company at an event in Palm Beach on Thursday, saying, “I don’t support special privileges in law, just because a company is powerful, and they’ve been able to wield a lot of power.”
But he mostly attacked a carveout for theme parks included by legislators in his signature “Big Tech” bill designed to prevent social media companies from de-platforming political candidates, calling it “ridiculous” and “embarrassing.” Public records, however, showed his legislative affairs director served as a liaison between Disney and lawmakers to craft its language.
DeSantis didn’t openly cite Reedy Creek in his remarks Thursday. But he spoke Friday about one of the more notable provisions in the 1967 Reedy Creek agreement, in which state lawmakers granted Disney unprecedented control over its theme park property.
In addition to the ability to issue tax-free bonds for improvements, regulate land use and environmental protections, and provide fire, police and other essential public services, Disney could also decide on its own to build a nuclear power plant.
“I think a lot of those things that have accumulated over the years would probably not be justifiable,” DeSantis said. “... I was shocked to see some of the stuff that’s in there. They could do their own nuclear power plant. Is there any other private company in the state that can just build a nuclear power plant on their own?”
A bill that would have revoked Walt Disney World Resort’s ability to build a nuclear plant, however, died in the 2019 legislative session.
As for tax breaks, DeSantis said, “I think what people are pointing to is just a general program that we have for every business … Now the Legislature can certainly reevaluate that as a whole. But my view is, we should just treat everybody equally.”
DeSantis has singled out Disney for other special privileges before, however. In 2019, he signed a transportation bill that carved out Reedy Creek from restrictions on road materials, Florida Trend reported.
As for tax breaks, DeSantis also signed a package in 2019 that included a $5 million per year tax break on inventory given away to charity that had been pushed by a Disney lobbyist, the magazine also reported.
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