The newly formed board of supervisors for Walt Disney World’s special taxing district in Florida will meet for the first time on Wednesday, following Governor Ron DeSantis’ appointment of hand-picked members who are ready to put an end to Disney’s “corporate kingdom.” However, it remains unclear what this will entail as the legislation creating the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District does not give the board of supervisors authority to direct Walt Disney Co’s content.
Despite this, Republican Governor DeSantis has previously spoken out against Disney’s “woke agenda.” Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, has stated that “the district board members are now in place and will be examining all of the needed actions to get back on track.”
DeSantis was given effective control over the board of supervisors that oversees municipal services and development in a special district comprising the Walt Disney World resort, after Florida legislators passed a bill in February. The move was aimed at ending Disney’s virtual autonomy in developing 25,000 acres in central Florida where its theme parks are located.
The legislation authorizes the governor to appoint five supervisors to operate the quasi-government entity that oversees municipal services such as fire protection, public utilities, waste collection, and road maintenance. The board can also raise revenue to pay outstanding debt and cover the cost of services.
However, DeSantis’ agenda goes beyond operational matters. He has previously stated that “leaders must stand up and fight back when big corporations make the mistake, as Disney did, of using their economic might to advance a political agenda.”
At the bill signing in February, DeSantis hinted at his cultural concerns and criticized Disney for allegedly injecting “a lot of sexuality into the programming for young kids,” without offering specifics. One Florida resident who spoke at the signing ceremony also echoed this sentiment, saying, “Disney has crossed the line” and “my hope is that Walt Disney’s vision will be restored and the woke ideologies will be removed from Disney forever.”
One of the five supervisors appointed to the oversight board, Bridget Ziegler, is a Sarasota School Board member and self-described parental rights advocate, who helped pave the way for the Parental Rights in Education Act. Ziegler has previously criticized Disney when it asked a local high school to cover a logo of the school’s Native American mascot to march on Main Street. She tweeted that it was “shameful to see Disney continue to use children as pawns to advance their woke political agenda.”
Disney’s chairman of parks, Josh D’Amaro, issued a statement expressing hope that “the new board will share our commitment to helping the local economy continue to flourish and support the ongoing growth of the resort and Florida’s tourism industry.”