The relevant law was passed by the state Senate on Friday. From June, the respective governor of Florida should be allowed to appoint the administrative body of the special district. The approximately 100 square kilometer area near the city of Orlando is home to Disney World and several other amusement and water parks, hotels and the associated infrastructure. So far, the land owners, i.e. mainly the Disney group, have been able to elect the administrative body.
The move is seen as a tit-for-tat tit-for-tat by ultra-conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis against Disney. The entertainment giant had sharply criticized a much-criticized Republican law that bans teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and restricts it in higher grades.
Disney is a huge employer in Florida. The Walt Disney World Resort theme park near Orlando is a tourist magnet. The entertainment giant, headquartered in the US state of California, had been given special status with extensive self-government in Florida in the 1960s. The group not only had control over the construction of the huge amusement parks, but was also allowed to issue municipal bonds. According to media reports, the district currently has a debt of around one billion dollars (a good 930 million euros). Disney could even have claimed the right to build a nuclear power plant on the site under the previous rules.
Disney shares are temporarily down 0.03 percent at $ 108.03 in NYSE after-hours trading.
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