Disney Defies DeSantis With Yet Another Secret Deal

The Walt Disney Company has been feuding with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for over a year now. What started with then Disney CEO Bob Chapek speaking out against the “Don’t Say Gay” debacle that overtook the country when it was announced has turned into a long back and forth between the Governor of the Sunshine State and the Mouse House. Both sides have made many moves to come out on top, and recently it seemed like Disney won the fight with an ingenious maneuver that invoked the British Royal family. But it was a move that Florida Governor DeSantis did not take kindly to.

In response to Disney’s move, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis threatened many possible consequences, including imposing state taxes, tolls, and further implications for the Central Florida Disney Resort. Governor DeSantis even went so far as to ostensibly joke about building a state prison next to Walt Disney World as a way to regain the upper hand.

Of course, this has not gone down well. Governor Ron DeSantis has been facing immense backlash from fellow politicians and journalists and has even lost donors for his campaign. They have accused him of not being a conservative, of not being able to handle a company like Disney, and North Carolina has even tried swooping in to get the Walt Disney Company to move its Theme Park to the Tar Heel state.

But now there’s another new development. It’s recently come to light that the Walt Disney Company even negotiated a second secret deal to “sidestep” the Governor and his specially appointed board and their bid to strip the district of its special privileges.

Reuters reported the board of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District—now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District —discovered another “11th-hour agreement” in its contract with the Walt Disney Company. Chairman Martin Garcia shared the new discovery at a public meeting on Thursday. As Reuters shared,

A Disney subsidiary, which provides utility services to the central Florida district that includes the Walt Disney World Resort, negotiated an agreement in February to extend its contract through 2032

“Last Friday afternoon I learned for the first time about one of these new 11th hour agreements entered into between Disney and the district. This one relates to our utility services,” Chairman Garcia said. “We’ll have to evaluate the legality of that agreement, that essentially enables Disney to set their utility rates.

The Disney vs. DeSantis feud certainly seems to be escalating, and we at Disney Fanatic will continue to report on all developments of this feud as they come to light.