Florida Senate Passes Bill To Abolish Disney’s Self-Governing Status and Tax Privilege
By Movieguide® Staff
The Florida Senate recently passed a bill that would strip Walt Disney Co. of its tax privilege that currently allows the company to self-govern nearly 25,000 acres of land in central Florida.
The designated area, called Reedy Creek Improvement District, is home to the famed Walt Disney World resort, two water parks, and 175 miles of roadway. Previously, the Florida resort received relief from taxes and fees and earned special rights for future building projects.
The new legislation comes after Disney condemned Florida’s recent parental rights in education bill, which employees labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,’ Disney said of the bill. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”
“We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” the statement continued.
In the weeks after the signing of the new bill, Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged legislation to look into the possibility of taking away Disney’s protections in the state of Florida, noting that he doesn’t “support special privileges in law just because a company is powerful.”
According to lawmakers, the total economic effect of the bill on Disney and the surrounding counties in central Florida is unclear.
The Daily Mail reported:
The newly-passed bill rips up the 55-year-old deal that allowed Disney to regulate land, enforce building codes and treat wastewater – and could cost the company millions in lost local taxes.
Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties may also end up saddled with $1billion of debt currently owed by Walt Disney World.
Legislators are split on whether the bill will result in Disney paying $2 million in debt or higher taxes for taxpayers in the surrounding counties.
State Rep. Randy Fine equated Disney’s open disapproval of HB 1557 to “kicking the hornet’s nest.”
“When Disney kicked the hornets nest several weeks ago, we started taking a look at special districts. And we found that six of them had been created before the Florida constitution was actually put in place,” he told CNBC. “And they had all sorts of weird things in them – for example, Disney had the right to take land outside of their district, they had the right to build a nuclear power plant without state oversight, they didn’t have to follow zoning laws or safety codes. We said some of these things just don’t make sense, not only in Disney, but in five other special districts around the state.”
“Floridians have said: ‘Alright, you’re a guest in our state, maybe you don’t deserve these special privileges anymore.'”
Not only did Disney disapprove of the parental rights law, but they also released a statement that vowed to incorporate more LGBTQ+ content in their upcoming movies and content.
Movieguide® previously reported:
After a recent letter from LGBTQ employees working at Pixar Animation Studios, Disney announced that it would restore a same-sex kiss between two female characters that was initially pulled from the upcoming LIGHTYEAR.
The letter of outrage accused Disney of cutting intimate scenes between same-sex characters from their children’s movies.
“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were,” the letter, issued on March 9, read. “Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”
The letter also stated that Disney Company leadership censored “overtly gay affection” in its feature-length movies.
In the past, Disney leadership understood that to cut intimate same-sex affection in their projects opens their movies up to the majority audience.
While Walt Disney Company held its ground to focus on story versus sexuality in the past, LIGHTYEAR could mark a significant turning point.
Disney’s failure to uphold moral truth is common among many companies today. Perhaps more sinister is that the studios and streamers’ open attack against Christianity and the truth of God’s word through their TV, Movies, and other media begins with children’s content.
With LIGHTYEAR, Disney would join Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and other companies in overt over-sexualization of animated content or content geared toward younger audiences.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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