Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s retaliation against Disney for defying his “Don’t Say Gay” bill could lead to big tax hikes for residents in nearby Orange and Osceola counties.
Ron DeSantis may be looking beyond the Florida-Georgia line for the 2024 election, but the damage he let loose this week could be impacting the state for years to come. Florida’s culture-war governor signed a law on Friday canceling the de facto tax benefits in the state for the Walt Disney Company, which spoke out against the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation barring public schools from “encouraging” classroom discussions on gender identity. The message is clear: Pro-business protections are now conditioned upon businesses accepting the governing party’s reactionary leanings. But the intended targets inside the Cinderella Castle may not be the Floridians actually getting hurt by the authoritarian move. The new law gets rid of Disney’s special improvement district, a catered tax setup established in 1967 which allows the company to run its own fire department and sewer services. Now, the protected area known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District will dissolve in June 2023 — and it appears that the House of Mouse won’t be paying the price.
