Updated Apr 20, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Florida legislators vote to end Disney's special status

Erin Doherty

DeSantis signs a bill into law. — Governor Ron DeSantis signs Florida's 15-week abortion ban into law. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Florida state senate voted 23-16 on Wednesday to eliminate the special status of Reedy Creek, a municipal district operated by Walt Disney Co., and the measure will now be sent to the house.

Why it matters: It's an escalation in the weeks-long feud between Republican governor Ron DeSantis and Disney over the state's controversial Parental Rights in Education Law — dubbed by critics the "Don't Say Gay" law.

Driving the news: The Reedy Creek Improvement District was created in 1967 to allow Disney to carry out municipal functions of its own, Bloomberg notes.

DeSantis said Tuesday that he wants lawmakers to eliminate an exemption passed last year that banned social media companies from blocking political candidates from their networks.

The big picture: Disney last month came out in opposition to DeSantis's law, which bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade.

In response, DeSantis suggested that he would support stripping Disney of a special status that allows it to operate as an independent government in the area around its Orlando theme park.

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Florida legislators vote to end Disney's special status

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