Victory on the Cards: Locals Slam DeSantis’s “Ridiculous” Feud, Want Reedy Creek Returned to Disney

While the Disney-DeSantis feud has certainly lost its shock value, locals are beyond tired of the battle and want power and control returned to the Walt Disney Company.

The Walt Disney Company has been in a heated battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for quite a while now. What began with former Disney CEO Bob Chapek speaking out about the Florida Governor’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill (known officially as the Parental Rights in Education Act) escalated into a much bigger battle involving legal disputes and infamous contracts and agreements.

Related: Video Claims Disney Cannot Obey Florida Law, It’s Owned by the British Crown

Local Reedy Creek Employees Done with DeSantis’s Board

While, initially, some locals were supportive and even hopeful about the changes that DeSantis’s new Reedy Creek Improvement District board, i.e., the Central Florida Tourism District Oversight Board, proposed, many have now become disillusioned with the board’s actions.

As Inside the Magic reported, many have now switched sides and want Disney to come back to the helm. Starting with the firefighters who resolutely supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his board to residents of the Disney-built town, Celebration, many are simply fed up.

District firefighter Pete Simon, for example, explained, “We were promised this new administration was going to make this place better,” he said. “But all we’ve seen and heard are cuts. Cuts to the budget, cuts to possible staffing, cuts to maintenance, and now cuts to benefits.”

Debie McDonald, a resident of the Disney-built town Celebration, added, “I would like to see this all go back to Disney. This feud is ridiculous, it’s petty, and the only reason it happened is because of Governor DeSantis’ political ambitions. The people he’s left us with are all in over their heads.”

The Walt Disney Company had its own Reedy Creek Improvement District board that had been running the district since the latter’s creation. One of the primary purposes of the formation of the district was to give Disney World the special status it needed to be able to function as it did.

When the feud with Governor DeSantis blew up, he immediately insisted that the Walt Disney Company was getting preferential treatment and must be brought back to earth.

Disney has demonstrated in no uncertain terms during this debacle the extent of the economic impact they have on Florida, with Disney CEO Bob Iger even deeming Florida Governor DeSantis to be “anti-Florida” and “anti-business.”

Ultimately, the CFTOD board doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, but this development of events is notable considering how many were optimistic about the board when it was first instituted.