LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking to take back control over Disney's special district through new legislation — the latest move in the ongoing saga between the Florida governor and the entertainment giant.
“We have a government of laws…not a government of men, and that includes the law being superior to big corporations, even corporations as big and powerful as Walt Disney Company," DeSantis said Monday at a Reedy Creek administrative building.
The governor said the proposed bill will "make sure that the agreements purported to be entered into by Disney are revoked and the people’s will is established and is upheld."
This comes just more than two weeks after board members say Disney pulled a fast one by stripping the new board of most powers before DeSantis' hand-picked members could take their seats.
Five new supervisors were appointed by DeSantis after the Florida Legislature overhauled Disney’s government in retaliation for the company publicly opposing the state's controversial Parental Rights in Education law — dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.
"Disney did basically special deals to circumvent that whole process," DeSantis said. "That’s a direct defiance of the will of the people of Florida.”
The governor said Florida law gives lawmakers the authority to reject development agreements like the one Disney recently made, and that we can expect some legislative action in the coming week.
The goal, according to the governor, is to ensure "this company is under the law, following the law, paying taxes and honoring the debts and not governing itself.”
“We want to make sure that Disney lives under the same laws as everybody else,” DeSantis said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.