'Disney Outsmarted DeSantis Again' Over Development Dispute, Attorney Says
Disney on Monday, laying out plans to void a development agreement that will allow the company to largely maintain control over its special district in Florida.The deal was approved by Florida's State Land Planning Agency in 2022, before the governor's current objection, according to Alejandra Caraballo, a civil rights attorney.DeSantis has been locked in a conflict with Disney since the entertainment giant criticized his Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by opponents.
The Florida governor is widely believed to be weighing up a possible 2024 presidential bid, with polling indicating he is Donald Trump's most credible challenger for the GOP nomination, though he has yet to officially declare.DeSantis on Monday said he would use legislation to nullify a move by Disney that would allow it to continue running the Reedy Creek Improvement District in Florida, a self-governing authority first created in 1967.The governor originally sought to impose a new board on the district, controlled by his loyalists.
But this was sidestepped by Disney in an unusual legal maneuver that largely grants the company continued control over the district in perpetuity, or until "21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England."Caraballo, an attorney with more than 133,000 Twitter followers, pointed out that Disney managed to gain state approval for its plans in 2022.
She retweeted Kevin Connolly, another Twitter user, who shared a legal notice from July 2022 in which Florida authorities described the Disney plan as "in compliance."Caraballo added: "Disney outsmarted DeSantis again.
