Disney Cites Royal Clause to Challenge DeSantis' Move to Take Control of Disney World
Do you support DeSantis' bill?
Updated on March 30, 2023
- Disney has referenced an obscure royal clause to render Gov. DeSantis' decision to take control of Disney's theme park district ineffective.
- Disney ran the district for over half a century until DeSantis made a move to take control of the district, citing Disney's defiance of state sex education laws and Disney's criticism of the Parental Rights in Education Act, known colloquially as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
- Disney has bypassed the Republican board selected by DeSantis by using an archaic covenant known as a "royal lives clause", which has been used in legal documentation since the late 17th century.
- The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District says the agreement passed last month by the previous board gives the Disney corporation control over the area and restricts the power of the new board due to a stipulation contained in the agreement that states:
"[It is valid until] 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England."
"We're going to have to deal with it and correct it. [Disney's actions are] a naked attempt to circumvent the will of the voters and the will of the Florida Legislature."
"The Executive Office of the Governor is aware of Disney’s last-ditch efforts to execute contracts just before ratifying the new law that transfers rights and authorities from the former Reedy Creek Improvement District to Disney. An initial review suggests these agreements may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law.”
"Governor DeSantis’ new board would not, and will not, allow Disney to give THEMSELVES unprecedented power over land (some of which isn’t even theirs!) for 30+ years.”
- DeSantis' selected board is liaising with lawyers to settle the dispute.
What’s the story?
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill earlier this week to take control of Walt Disney World’s municipal services and development for the special district surrounding the park.
- DeSantis said the special zone encompassing the park — known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District — enabled the company to avoid local rules and building codes.
- During a news conference, he stated:
“The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end. There’s a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day.”
What’s in the bill?
- The bill appoints a five-person board to oversee the municipal services where Disney operates, including fire protection and road maintenance. The committee will include people who “very much want to see Disney be what Walt envisioned,” as put by DeSantis, and will have a role in Disney's revenues and debt.
- Members of the board include local elections lawyer Michael Sasso and conservative school board member Bridget Ziegler, who is also the wife of a Flordia Republican Party chairman Christian Ziegler.
- The bill would also end some of Disney’s privileges, including an exemption from state regulatory reviews, as well as remove its self-governing status.
- DeSantis hopes that while the board handles infrastructure and maintenance, it also stops Disney from “inject[ing] woke ideologies.” He said:
“When you lose your way, you’ve got to have people that are going to tell you the truth. So we can hope they can get back on. But I think all of these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate.”
Criticisms
- Opposers say the bill seems to be a part of a growing feud between Disney and DeSantis, as the governor said the company “crossed the line” by opposing his ‘Don’t Say Gay' bill. DeSantis has said he’s fighting the “woke indoctrination” of the company, including Disney’s move to require proof of vaccination, mandate masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and make changes to the park to promote diversity.
- Critics are stressing that DeSantis’ bill is an attempt to push his own ideological agenda and a dangerous step towards punishing entities that exercise their First Amendment right to criticize his positions.
- Rep. Rita Harris (D-FL) questioned just how far DeSantis would go to control his opponents. Citing Disney’s decision to change Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in an effort to be more inclusive, she said:
“What if the governor didn’t like that? Would the board be able to push the company into changing their business model?”
Do you support DeSantis' bill?
-Jamie Epstein
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SuperCalifragilisticExpialiFascist.
This is government overreach. This is big government at its worst. He is trying to regulate free speech and creativity.
Disney World stepped over the line when they got involved in Politics and had become totally woke. I have been there as a kid, I'm 72 now took my own kids twice and my grand children once.
The parks and surrounding area was all about kids and their enjoyment helping them safe from all harm. It was all about the magic of a child's mind. That was where it was known as the MAGIC KINGDOM.
How many great cartoons and movies were made by Disney. I can remember as a kid weekly watching the TV show. And then there was the Mickey Mouse Club.
It took about twenty years after his death in December 1966 for a new group of people to take control over Disney Corporation. I had a friend who babysat about 7 kids every day. Before lunch she would sit the kids in the living room next to the kitchen and play them one of the kids movies age appropriate. Disney had put out a new movie called Aladdin. She put the tape in the VCR and went to fix lunch for the kids.
A few minutes later she went in the living room to check the kids and they were all taking their cloths off. In shock she ask the kids what are you doing? They all responded that the man said take you clothes off. She said what man and the kids said in the movie. The scene was around the balcony scene when the vail was pulled back. She backed it up about ten minutes and hit play and listened and didn't hear anything. The kids insisted that he said it again. She stopped the tape replayed the ten minutes with the volume really loud and there it was in a light whisper a man said take your clothes off. She removed the tape and told the kids it is time to eat. She told me about it because we had bought the same movie for my daughter. I played the movie with my wife and when the balcony scene came up I turned the volume up and there was the whisper of the man saying take your clothes off. Then we checked around and in one movie in the Little Mermaid had a castle spire with a penis in it.
The story goes like this: A disgruntled artist working on the film was fired. But before he left, he got his revenge by drawing a penis in Tritan's castle. The phallic image went unnoticed by Disney and soon, children across the world were bringing home VHS tapes with this "artwork."
Disney claims that the "penis" was not the result of an angry former employee and simply states that the image was just a coincidence. Yeah!!!
In one movie in the clouds The Lion King. The clouds are swirling around and the word SEX comes to view.
This was their reply:
Rick Rhoades, a Disney spokesman, said that in "The Lion King" what appeared to some to be a word was "nothing more than a perception."
He added that the company had no plans to withdraw the video. "We can guarantee there's no symbolism, no sordid imagery," he said. Yeah!!!
Now look at present day and the LBGQTII+ crowd will now be represented in all future Disney movies, great!!!
The don't say gay bill never existed. The bill mentioned never uses the word gay.
Remember when Republicans were pro-business and would do everything to reduce the regulatory and tax burden on corporations?
Well, I guess that only lasted so far as companies keeping their mouths shut and staying out of politics other than donations.
This is fascism, and it's anti-business.
I don't think Disney will move out of Florida, but they can reduce headcount and change who they donate to. And they can stand stronger against fascists like DeSantis.
I hope they do.
Beware the mouse's wrath.
We all complain about how large corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes, but when someone does something about it everyone freaks out.
Good for Disney! They actually read the law and saddled DeSantis and his fascist governing board with higher unionized wages and resposibilty to maintain the roads and public properties in the area, before they had a chance inflict vengeance for Disney's support of gay people instead of kowtowing to the 'fearless leader's' mandate, DSantis is a dangerous man and he is proving it more and more with each and every political stunt that blows up in his face.
Well, hopefully DeSantis will move on and stop picking on Disney.
But since he's shown he has nothing better to do than pick petty fights instead of actually helping the people of Florida, I doubt he will.
I'm happy that Disney has found a way around the tyranny.
Cross Posted From the Community Feed
The House That The Mouse Built Strikes Blows Against Ron De Fascist.
Disney quietly dodged DeSantis’s oversight board, appointees realize
The panel installed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Reedy Creek Improvement District transferred much of its power to Disney in an 11th-hour agreement.
By Bryan Pietsch
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/03/30/desantis-disney-world-board-loophole/
Separately, Disney World service workers on Wednesday voted to accept a union contract offer that raises the starting minimum wage to $18 an hour by the end of the year.
DeSantis' board says Disney stripped them of power – AP News https://apnews.com/article/65ba19dd7af7927b07185f52d0a6e2a7
Give me a Platoon of Well Trained Lawyers over a Battalion of Culture "Warriors" Commanded by a Clown in GoGo boots.
We'll eventually see a battle of the lawyers soon enough.
Disney sidesteps DeSantis 1 day before DeSantis's appointed board members take over by transferring all powers from Reedy Developnent board to Disney, and leaving only the responsibility of roads & infrastructure to DeSantis run Reedy Develoomeny board.
In addition Reedy Decelopment Board can't use Disney characters or the Disney name, and the minimum wage was increased to $18/hr for 45,000 Disney workers which as the major employer forced the states hand in the minimum wage.
Looks like the mouse 🐭 will have the last word!
"Gov. Ron DeSantis' move to take over Walt Disney World's governing board in Florida may have backfired due to a prior obscure agreement that new governor-appointed board members argue stripped them of their power."
"According to the agreement text, Disney was given a slew of powers including development rights for the next thirty years, or 2053, and the authority to approve any design improvements."
"This essentially makes Disney the government," board member Ron Peri said during a meeting on Wednesday. "This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure."
"The 151-page Florida agreement also states that no "fanciful characters" owned by Disney, including Mickey Mouse, can be used by the board. The use of the name Disney is also banned."
"Disney World service workers on Wednesday were voting on whether to accept a union contract offer that would raise the starting minimum wage to $18 an hour by the end of the year."
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/29/1166925827/disney-world-board-desantis-power-florida
https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-board-overseeing-disney-district-may-be-powerless-2023-3?amp
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65120369.amp
Ron DeSantis move to ban anything he disagrees with is totally wrong!
I think God is taking revenge on the state of Florida.
DeSantis has established such a consistent pattern of divisive and just plain wrong legislation that I can almost oppose him sui generis. As your constituent I would advise you to look for solutions and not for talking points.
I am for small government, and this is not small government.
How Do You Spell Less Than Useless Governor Who Never Addressing the Needs of his state
D e S a n t i s
How Do You Spell American Authoritarian of the Worst Kind?
D e S a n t i s
What is the picture of a Fascist State
F l o r i d a
Florida is Blinded and Giddy from being the center of an absurd culture war. It is where rationality & science, and compassion and truth are being put to death.
Disney should just close the park down. Watch what will happen when Orlando's economy tanks!
And they will all deserve it!
If I could get in touch with Disney, I would offer them this suggestion, myself!
Watch how fast he would back down and back off!
what part of free market does DeSantis not understand? Please tell me you oppose this nonsense.
Desantis is a scary awful person who needs accountability for his actions.
Amazing, Republicans, who cry all the time about legislation that restricts companies are now literally trying to run American companies that disagree with their views. This is probably one of the most ridiculous things that they could come up with. Republicans, cry all the time about legislation that restricts companies, and here they are literally trying to run American companies that disagree with their views. This is one of the most ridiculous things they could do, I guess the Republicans want to go down this rabbit hole.
Both sides are wrong here in so many ways. First, the governor is wrong to punish all Disney stockholders when only upset at a few board members.
However, Disney corporation is wrong here too. Disney is a corporation, not a voter, so why take up a political issue?
Disney has no right to speak on politics since the owners, 10s of thousands of even millions of shareholders have a broad spectrum of political views.
It's a state issue and anyone not being a registered voter in Florida has no business attempting to influence how they live.
Ron DeSantis is a bigoted pig. I wouldn't even consider voting for this idiot per second. He exemplifies the sad space that the Republican Party now occupies liars, bigots and losers.
Any huge company that does business in Florida, or any state that is discriminating against marginalized people, should take their business elsewhere, hit these two-bit fascists where it hurts.
Alas, we know this won't happen, because the all mighty dollar speaks louder than any person.
We need to pass a bill to outlaw idiots which would be Ron DeSantis. I'm really sick to death of the Republican party and it's bent on attacking the helpless and most vulnerable who can do nothing about it among us. They're packed a freaking cowards. What's Disney World gonna do move? It should if she could declare bankruptcy and moved from Florida I'm sure any would love to have them. Republicans always pick the lowest hanging fruit possible they can find how about doing something that really needs to be done how about the fact that guns kill more children in America than anything. That's a fact more children die from guns than anything else disease of any kind cancer accidents nope guns. Do you hear any Republicans talking about that no because they're freaking cowards who would rather do the least they can do and get in the faces of their constituents and get reelected and make millions for themselves. It's bullshit it's time it changed.
The Latest on the Florida Fascist:
Florida bill proposes bloggers covering DeSantis must register with state, slammed as unconstitutional
Free speech advocates are condemning a proposed Florida bill requiring all bloggers writing about government officials in the state to register with the state.
Read in Fox News: https://apple.news/AkFNY21HYT4ipJRwpeNDGOQ
In DeSantis v Disney, DeSantis Eventually Loses in the Courts. But Severely loses in the Court of Public Opinion.
Any takers?