Florida legislators vote to end Disney's special status
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.
Go deeper ... Disney's political drama