Florida Gov. DeSantis calls on the state's Legislature to consider eliminating a special district that allows the Walt Disney Co. to operate like a local government in the Orlando area.
The district allows Disney to self-govern by collecting taxes and providing emergency services. Disney controls about 25,000 acres and the district allows Disney to build new structures or pay governmental impact fees when it builds new ones without the approval of a local planning commission.
State Rep. Spencer Roach, a Republican from Southwest Florida who first raised the issue of ending Disney’s taxing district, said the district has allowed the corporation to avoid as much as $200 million in property taxes that Orange and Osceola counties would otherwise collect. He pointed out that other theme parks in the Orlando area already pay property taxes; only Disney is exempt.
“Disney is the most politically powerful juggernaut in Florida politics,” Roach said. “This is the shot heard round the world.”Instead, it eliminates various “independent special districts” in Florida — unless the Legislature reauthorizes them by June 1, 2023. That puts the onus on Disney to come back to the Legislature and DeSantis to avoid losing the tax district status.for, in a so-called “Big Tech censorship” law that DeSantis sought.
“Someone said Disney has all these special perks,” DeSantis said. “Should you retaliate against them for them coming out and demagoguing this bill? I don’t believe you ‘retaliate,’ but I think what I would say is, as a matter of first principle, 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.”
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Florida Gov. DeSantis pushes to end Disney self-governmentFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday asked the Legislature to repeal a law allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state.
Read more »
DWTS’ Artem Chigvintsev, More Show Stars React to Disney+ MoveCheryl Burke, Gleb Savchenko and more ‘DWTS’ pros and judges spoke out after news broke the show will no longer be on ABC — read more
Read more »
Disney Planet Possible: Protecting the treasures of Joshua Tree National ParkEven though Joshua Trees might appear healthy, you can't quite judge a book by its cover. As part of Disney's PlanetPossible series, abc7robmcmillan looks at how environmentalists are working to protect these treasures.
Read more »
What Consumers Want to Pay for Netflix, Disney+ and More Streamers (Study)It should come as no surprise that cost is the main reason given for why someone will likely cancel a streaming service subscription — but what might be surprising is what those consumers fee…
Read more »
Get Inspired to Protect Our Planet this Earth Month with Movies and TV Shows from DisneyWatch these Disney movies and TV shows to celebrate EarthMonth!
Read more »
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Season 2 Renewal Confirmed By Disney+TheProudFamily: Louder and Prouder will return for season 2 on Disney+ and feature a star-studded lineup of guests like Chance the Rapper.
Read more »