DeSantis District Completely Erases Disney’s Reedy Creek

Near the end of the film National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), there is a scene where the Delta Tau Chi fraternity has been kicked out of the fictional Faber College. Their leader, Otter, played by Tim Matheson, is trying to decide how they should respond to this insult. And he comes up with one of the great quotes in cinematic history. Otter says, “No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!”

Related: DeSantis Has Done Considerable Damage and Central Florida is Fighting Back

And today, we got to the point of the feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Legislature, and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District against The Walt Disney Company, where we got a futile and stupid gesture. Sure, this isn’t the first one, nor will it be the last, but it seemingly lacked any purpose and was done to erase any reference to the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

After 10 months in charge, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District decided that today would be the day to change the Board’s website, URL, and logo. The changes on their website have completely erased any reference to The Walt Disney Company or the Walt Disney World Resort, the District’s largest taxpayer. The Board of DeSantis appointees have also taken to not mention Disney World by name, instead referring to it as “our largest taxpayer.” Disney World accounts for 80 percent of the taxes in the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Related: DeSantis Disney Board Sticking It To Reedy Creek Firefighters…Again

There is also mention of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the new website. He is featured under the “History” section for signing the law that removed the Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. That section includes the District’s founding District mentioning Walt Disney or the Walt Disney World Resort.

This isn’t the first childish gesture in this feud. Before the new Board took over, Disney created the “King Charles III” clause, which stripped the new Board of most of its power until the last living descendent of King Charles III died. But despite the childish nature of that clause, it held practical and legal purposes for The Walt Disney Company. Disney could take the Board’s knees out before they were even seated, allowing them to maintain control over decisions at Walt Disney World.

But that decision landed Disney in State Court with the new Board members. The Board is suing Disney to make any deals struck with the Reedy Creek Improvement District null and void, despite the Florida Legislature passing a bill that took care of that. Disney countersued the Board, claiming that it violated the Contract Clause of the Constitution with the creation of the new Board.

Related: New Report Shows DeSantis Had Bigger Plans to Punish Disney But Feared Hurting His Lucrative Donors

Disney is also involved in a lawsuit against the Florida Governor, claiming that he violated their First Amendment Rights and government retaliation for Disney speaking against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.

Since the new Board members took over in February, more than 40 employees have left the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, taking over 400 years of service with them. In their exit interviews, many departing employees called the Board “political” and feared the District was “no longer functional.”

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.