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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers announced legislation on Monday that would use the Florida government’s regulatory powers to impose restrictions on park resort rides and the monorail Increased pressure on Walt Disney World by imposing unprecedented oversight.
DeSantis said at a news conference near Disney World that lawmakers will introduce a bill in the coming weeks that would end the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ exemption from ride-hailing inspections at Disneyland.
The agricultural agency is responsible for inspecting rides in Florida, with the exception of the state’s largest theme park operators, such as Disney and Universal Destinations and Experiences, which conduct their own safety inspections. Under the proposal, the exemption for rides in government districts, which are essentially exclusive to Disney World, would end.
Disney said in a statement Monday that its inspectors have been leaders in the industry. Other experts point out that Disney and other large theme park operators have the expertise to inspect complex rides that state or local agencies may not have.
In his book “Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando,” Richard Foglesong, professor emeritus at Rollins College,
“You need inspectors who have the kind of expertise that I think they have,” he said of inspectors currently inspecting Disney rides.
DeSantis’ announcement is the latest in a tit-for-tat battle between Disney and the governor that began last year when the entertainment giant spoke out against the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that would ban teaching about sexual orientation in schools. and gender identity teaching from kindergarten through third grade. In retaliation, a bill passed by Florida lawmakers and signed by DeSantis reorganized the government controlled by Walt Disney World, allowing the governor to appoint five members of the board of supervisors. The board was previously controlled by Disney.
Last month, DeSantis’ new appointees claimed their Disney-controlled predecessors made rapid progress by stripping the new board of most of its powers and giving Disney control over the design and construction of theme park resorts before the new members were seated. .
DeSantis said Monday that the agreement between Disney and the former executive was illegal, claiming it was self-dealing and that proper advance notice was not given before the original board of directors approved it. The governor also said lawmakers have the power to revoke it, and they will consider legislation to do so next week.
“They talked about a development agreement that would nullify everything we’ve done,” DeSantis said. “Well, that won’t work. That won’t fly.”
In a statement, Disney said the agreement was based on a comprehensive plan approved by state officials last summer.
The governor also suggested that the new board should sell off the district’s utilities to pay off the district’s $1 billion in debt and ensure that Disney World no longer mandates masks as it did after it closed and reopened in its first year of COVID-19. 19 Spread of the virus.
In taking on Disney, DeSantis has bolstered his reputation as a cultural crusader willing to take on political opponents and wield the power of state governments to achieve political goals. That’s the strategy he’s likely to follow in his projected bid for the White House in 2024.
DeSantis suggested, somewhat tongue-in-cheek on Monday, that the new board or lawmakers could take other actions on Disney’s 27,000 acres (10,926 hectares) in central Florida, such as building state parks, competing theme parks or prisons.
“I think the possibilities are endless,” DeSantis said. DeSantis and lawmakers need to pass another bill on Disney governance, Foglesong said, which could be an implicit acknowledgment that the agreement between the previous board and the company was valid.
Plus, he said, it would be unusual for a potential Republican presidential candidate to go after a large company and try to regulate it more, as DeSantis did with Disney.
“He talks like Bernie the Socialist,” Ferguson said, referring to Bernie Sanders of Vermont. “What Republican candidate for an important office would say that?”
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