Lawmakers advance bill repealing DeSantis’ Disney board takeover

Orange County’s legislative delegation advanced a measure Friday seeking to repeal changes made to Disney World’s special government district in a Gov. Ron DeSantis-led overhaul, a proposal that will face a tough path in the Republican-dominated Legislature.

State Sen. Linda Stewart said the state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District has created “chaos” with a wave of veteran employee departures.

“There are just things out there that are falling apart,” the Orlando Democrat said. “This should not be how we treat our Disney people who provide us with tax dollars.”

The delegation approved Stewart’s local bill in a voice vote, but Republican members questioned whether it could move forward procedurally in the Legislature.

Orange County’s legislative delegation is controlled by Democrats, while Republicans hold supermajorities in the Legislature.

The DeSantis-Disney feud started in 2022 over the corporation’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education law, which limited classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools.

Last year the Legislature put the governor in charge of appointing the district’s five board members.

In February DeSantis replaced Disney loyalists on the board with his Republican allies. The Legislature renamed the district the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Rep. Carolina Amesty, R-Windermere, said she didn’t have a clear understanding as to who would sponsor the measure in the House and other key procedural details.

“When we talk about policy, we can’t look at just doing political theater when it comes down to our delegation,” Amesty said. “We need to talk about actual policies that will make an impact and improve the lives of the residents we represent. This just can’t be political theater.”

Democrats, though, have accused DeSantis of engaging in political theater by waging a high-profile fight with Disney as he sought to gain momentum for his presidential run. He devoted a chapter of his book “The Courage to Be Free” to Disney, calling it the “The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism.”

Disney sued DeSantis and state officials in federal court, alleging it had been unfairly punished for speaking out about political issues in Florida. The DeSantis-picked tourism oversight board sued Disney in state court and asked a judge to undo development agreements limiting their authority.

Democrats said the overhaul was rushed and disruptive to people living and working in Central Florida.

“A lot of my constituents … work for Disney and the kind of chaos that has occurred since the Reedy Creek board was dissolved … has not been good for our constituents,” said Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando.

Rep. Doug Bankson, R-Apopka, defended the governor’s position. He said he would be open to looking for improvements but would not support returning to the old district, which he said functioned like a “mini-Vatican.”

Lawmakers approved the Reedy Creek district in 1967, giving Disney effective control over the entity providing government services to its theme parks and resorts.

“We need to have an equal footing for all of our players in Central Florida — not just favoritism toward one,” Bankson said.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and the governor’s office did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.

The delegation’s bill serves as a starting point for discussions on ways to improve the district, such as adding local elected officials to the board, Stewart said.

“My purpose in filing this bill is to go back, repeal what is there and start over,” she said. “Start over with a true discussion about what this organization could do that would be helpful — not something that would tear it apart.”

Democrats in the delegation tried to advance the bill in November, but their efforts were derailed when three Republicans — Bankson and state Sens. Jason Brodeur and Dennis Baxley — walked out of the meeting. They said they were upset over the delegation’s rules for picking leaders.