Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a law, which will take effect in June 2023, removing a favorable status enjoyed by the Disney World theme park, the entertainment giant having championed certain progressive themes not appreciated by elected Republicans. .
The special status in the crosshairs of the text was granted to Disney at the time of the construction of the Disney World leisure site in the 1960s. It offered it a large autonomy of local management and exempted it from most of the regulations of the 'State.
Relations between DeSantis and Disney soured recently after Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out publicly against a governor-sponsored law banning teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. gender in primary school.
“You are a company headquartered in Burbank, California, and you are using your economic power to attack parents in my state.
We see this as a provocation and we will fight against it,” DeSantis said Friday as he signed the text.
Disney's theme park near Orlando is among the most visited in the world and the Disney brand remains a favorite with Americans.
With its special status, Disney guaranteed a number of essential public services such as garbage collection or water treatment, and some elected officials fear that revoking this status will result in a transfer of debt to local governments.