• Home
  • Politics
  • DeSantis appointees begin reshaping Walt Disney World’s districts

DeSantis appointees begin reshaping Walt Disney World’s districts

On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis began trying to reshape Disney World’s governing body with new supervisors on eliminating a planning board, prohibiting mask mandates, and COVID-19 vaccine requirements. 

The five new board members of the governing body, which had been controlled by Disney up until February, had on their meeting agenda rules prohibiting anyone from being barred from its offices for not wearing a face mask or not having the COVID-19 vaccine. Also, the agenda includes a resolution asserting the board’s “superior authority” over the district that covers Disney World’s 27,000 acres, including two minuscule cities. 

Back in 2020, Disney World required masks and had social distancing protocols in place when it reopened after closing for several months to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. DeSantis had been a fierce opponent of virus mask and vaccine mandates to which he had petitioned the state Supreme Court to convene a grand jury to investigate “any and all wrongdoing.” 

The battle continued between Desantis and Republican state lawmakers against Disney when the entertainment company publicly opposed what critics say was the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation barring school instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. In retaliation, Florida lawmakers passed, and DeSantis signed, which incited the reorganizing of Disney World’s company-controlled government. Disney previously had controlled the board for its 55-year existence.

Last month, the five DeSantis appointees claimed their Disney-controlled predecessors were stripping the new members of their powers and giving Disney control over design and construction at the theme park resorts.

On Monday, DeSantis and lawmakers immediately applied pressure, prosing upcoming legislation that would require state inspections of Disney rides, an unprecedented move since Florida’s largest theme park operators have been able to conduct their own inspections. 

Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that any actions against the company that threatens jobs or expansion at its Florida resort were not only “anti-business” but “anti-Florida.”

Share:

Join Our Mailing List

    Recent Articles

    Biden taps Dr. Mandy Cohen to lead CDC

    President Joe Biden plans to appoint former North Carolina health secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s next director. Cohen, a longstanding health official and physician who steered her state through the rocky first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, has extensive experience working under both the Obama and Biden administrations.

    Debt Bill heads to Biden’s desk after being passed by the Senate

    On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill to suspend the nation’s debt limit through January 1, 2025, averting what would’ve been an #economically disastrous #default just day before the #deadline. The final vote was 63-36, and it will now be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk where he can potentially sign it into law.

    What’s Going On With the Debt Ceiling Deal!

    As I scrolled on my news feed this past weekend the majority of the news articles were about the up-and-coming debt deal. So, what exactly is this debt deal we are all hearing about? The full legislative text represents an agreement between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden to suspend the nation’s borrowing limit. House lawmakers are expected to vote on it this week.

    Debt ceiling would reinstate student loan payments

    The deal finalized to raise the nation’s debt limit on Sunday between Pres. Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would reinstate student loan payments and the accrual of interest for millions of Americans. The agreement, the text unveiled after weeks of negotiations between the White House and GOP leaders, would end the ongoing pause of monthly payments and interests after August 30.

    To regulate AI, Congress has some catching up to do

    Tech experts held a hearing May 16 and laid bare the risks posed by the exploding advances of AI, and it’s clear that Congress is facing challenges in keeping up. Congress has struggled to regulate technology before. Lawmakers missed windows to create guardrails for the internet and social media that could have prevented the spread of disinformation online. Why? Most members didn’t fully understand the technology and couldn’t figure out how to solve these problems.

    Hey! Are you enjoying NYCTastemakers? Make sure to join our mailing list for NYCTM and never miss the chance to read all of our articles!