Florida Business Owners Take DeSantis’s Board to Task

The feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company has been long documented. With numerous back-and-forths between both parties, with each trying to out-maneuver the other, much came to a head recently. While it seemed like at first DeSantis had won with the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and board and the formation of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and board, Disney pulled an ingenious move and regained the upper hand. Disney’s legal invoked what is being called the “King Charles clause” involving King Charles III and his heirs. Of course, this didn’t sit well with DeSantis and his board, and they vowed to clap back—DeSantis went so far as to even supposedly joke about building a state prison next to Walt Disney World.

It also recently came to light that Disney defied DeSantis and his board in a second secret deal. One after the other, these occurrences have angered DeSantis and his board, and they announced they would be convening on Wednesday, April 26, to vote on possibly voiding the deals that Disney made prior to the dissolution of Reedy Creek.

Many have criticized Florida Governor DeSantis for his focus on this issue while other issues hit South Florida, and others insisted that he wasn’t handling the situation well, going so far as to say he “wasn’t a conservative.” Even Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke out about the situation, saying he’d be “glad to meet” Governor DeSantis to talk this out, and also called his decisions “anti-business” and “anti-Florida.”

Now, it appears Iger isn’t the only one who believes so.

Owners of restaurants and other businesses on #Disney property are using public comment to tell the supervisors their concerns about changes, especially tax increases #WESH pic.twitter.com/Qur0duhBHZ

— Bob Hazen WESH (@HazenWESH) April 26, 2023

During the meeting that happened on the morning of April 26, 2023, some small business owners spoke out against possible changes. Part of the agenda for the meeting was to address and “[declare] #Disney’s development agreement w/Reedy Creek ‘void ab initio’.” However, small business owners—owners of restaurants and other businesses on #Disney property—used public comment to tell the supervisors their concerns about changes, especially tax increases. 

Prior to small business owners speaking out themselves, this eventuality of the tax increases and difficulties affecting more than just the entertainment giant was one that analysts had predicted as well.

As of the latest news, the board has officially voided Disney’s latest maneuver, stating it was “illegal to transfer governmental powers to a private entity.”

Read More: DeSantis’ Board Voids Disney’s Last-Minute Power Grab

It remains to be seen how this change will affect Walt Disney World, the Walt Disney Company, and the small businesses in the area. Some have speculated that Disney might move this Disney Resort to North Carolina, Atlanta or other states and cities, and while nothing has been confirmed by the Mouse House, perhaps it’s worth remembering just how central Walt Disney World is to Orlando’s and Florida’s economy.