Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is growing more frustrated and angrier by the minute in his futile feud with Disney World, and now is vowing “strong action” against the entertainment giant, including looking at the taxes on Disney’s hotels and imposing tolls on roads that serve its theme parks.
DeSantis on Thursday said that “come hell or high water” he will get the Legislature to void the Reedy Creek deal with Disney that stripped the new board of its power and consider imposing new hotel taxes and tolls on Disney World.
“Come hell or high water, we’re going to make sure that policy of Florida carries the day,” DeSantis said in a speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan on Thursday night, first reported by Politico. “And so they can keep trying to do things. But ultimately we’re going to win on every single issue involving Disney, I can tell you that.”
In a question-and-answer session at the conservative Michigan college, DeSantis called the theme park giant and largest single-site employer in the state a “joke.”
Disney is “acting like somehow that they pulled one over on the state,” DeSantis said.
“But now that Disney has reopened this issue, we’re not just going to void the development agreement they tried to do, we’re going to look at things like taxes on the hotels, we’re going to look at things like tolls on the roads,” he said. “We’re going to look at things like developing some of the property that the district owns.”
He reiterated his intention to undo Disney’s deal during a news conference in Ocala on Friday, saying additional legislative action will be taken to nullify the deal and “potentially arm the board with the ability to make sure that this is run appropriately.”
DeSantis’ threat is the latest in the back-and-forth battle between the state and the Walt Disney Co. that began when former CEO Bob Chapek criticized the so-called “don’t say gay” law last year that limits instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
During his speech Thursday, DeSantis also bragged bout his power, as demonstrated by his moves against Disney.
“Some governors in this country, they don’t like to make decisions,” he said, according to The Orland Sentinel. “They hope everything kind of just fizzles out before it gets to their desk. That’s not me. I mean, I’m very active. I want to be involved. When the Legislature is not moving enough, I will prod and push.”
“I don’t know what S.O.B. is gonna succeed me, but they ain’t going to have anything to do,” DeSantis added. “Because I’m taking all the meat off the bone.”
