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Disney World theme park in Florida.
Photo: Ted Shaffrey/AP
The Florida state legislature has stripped the Disney company of administrative rights for the district that is also home to the world-famous Disney World theme park.
The relevant law was passed by the state Senate on Friday.
From June, the respective governor of Florida should be allowed to appoint the administrative body of the special district.
The approximately 100 square kilometer area near the city of Orlando is home to Disney World and several other amusement and water parks, hotels and the associated infrastructure.
So far, the land owners, i.e. mainly the Disney group, have been able to elect the administrative body.
Robert DeSantis vs Disney
The move is seen as a tit-for-tat tit-for-tat by ultra-conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis against Disney.
The entertainment giant had sharply criticized a much-criticized Republican law that bans teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and restricts it in higher grades.
Disney is a huge employer in Florida.
The Walt Disney World Resort theme park near Orlando is a tourist magnet.
The entertainment giant, headquartered in the US state of California, had been given a special status with extensive self-government in Florida in the 1960s.
The group not only had control over the construction of the huge amusement parks, but was also allowed to issue municipal bonds.
The Florida parliament had already decided last year to dissolve the special district.
But the move had unintended consequences, with tax experts and lawmakers warning that if the special status were lifted in June 2023, the county's taxpayers would be liable for nearly $1.2 billion in debt.
The new bill provides for the Reedy Creek special district to remain, but it will be renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The law specifically forbids anyone who has been associated with the theme parks in the past three years from serving in the district administration.
ktz/dpa/Reuters