The bill passed in a 23–16 vote.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Florida Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that will dissolve the special taxing district that allows the Walt Disney Co. to self-govern in its theme-park area, NBC News reports.
- Chamber lawmakers backed the measure in a 23-16 vote.
- The bill now requires a vote in the Republican-dominated House before it can go to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis (R), who called on the Legislature to support the bill during the special session this week, NBC notes.
- “What I would say as a matter of first principle is 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,” DeSantis said during a press conference last month. “I think what has happened is there’s a lot of these special privileges that are not justifiable, but because Disney had held so much sway, they were able to sustain a lot of special treatment over the years.”
WHAT THE BILL SAYS:
“(2) Notwithstanding s. 189.072(2), any independent special district established by a special act prior to the date of ratification of the Florida Constitution on November 5, 1968, and which was not reestablished, re-ratified, or otherwise reconstituted by a special act or general law after November 5, 1968, is dissolved effective June 1, 2023.”
BACKGROUND:
- Gov. DeSantis announced on Tuesday a special session that would include terminating Disney’s “legacy special district,” as well as congressional reapportionment and removing exemptions benefiting Big Tech.
- “In addition to congressional reapportionment, this week’s special session will include termination of legacy special districts and removal of exemptions from the big tech accountability law,” DeSantis stated to the press.
- The effort to eliminate Disney’s district, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, follows DeSantis’ targeting of the media conglomerate over its criticism of legislation the governor recently signed that prevents classroom discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through the third grade.
