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Credit: DisneyThe war between Ron DeSantis and Disney World just took its strangest turn yet.
Since 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort has called Orlando, Florida, its home. Central Florida has benefited hugely from Disney’s presence, establishing itself as the theme park capital of the world thanks to Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, and more flocking to establish nearby rivals to the world’s most-visited theme park.
And yet, as of 2022, Florida and Disney aren’t on the greatest of terms. At least, its governor is determined to make it that way. In 2022, Disney publicly opposed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which triggered an all-out culture war.
Since then, DeSantis has dismantled Disney’s Reedy Creek district, only to discover that Disney had quietly made his new replacement board redundant. In retaliation, DeSantis has done everything from floating the idea of building a neighboring prison to threatening tax increases on Walt Disney World hotels.
As the DeSantis-Disney war wages on, several outsiders have jumped in to share their takes – takes that are largely critical. Former President Donald Trump has dubbed DeSantis’ actions a “political stunt” that will harm Florida’s future investment prospects, while predicted 2024 Presidential candidate Chris Christie put doubt on DeSantis’ potential as a future President, commenting, “That’s not the guy I want sitting across from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and trying to resolve what’s happening in Ukraine.”
But not everyone is so anti-DeSantis. For a select few, the governor’s stance against Disney has legs – even if their reasoning is a little far-fetched.
One argument for Florida tightening the reins on Walt Disney World has racked up views on Twitter, arguing that DeSantis should order a full sweep of Disney property with cadaver dogs.
It widely known that 100s of children go missing every year at Disney world.
What if @RonDeSantisFL
Ordered the state LEOs to use cadaver dogs and sweep the entire property. You can be certain they will find some of the missing children and show the true nature of the park. pic.twitter.com/RySiT0nz8e— Jesus Castillo (@JesusECast) April 19, 2023
Twitter user @JesusECast has gained over 130,000 views thanks to his belief that “[hundreds] of children go missing every year at Disney World” and that a search with “cadaver dogs” would unmask the Park’s “true nature.”
Cadaver dogs are used in searches for missing persons believed to be deceased. Trained to pick up the scent of human remains, their work is thought to be accurate in 95% of cases.
Of course, the implication here is that cadaver dogs would find proof of human remains at Walt Disney World.
The argument is based on an estimate from the University of Central Florida that hundreds of children go missing at Disney World every year.
What the argument fails to recognize, however, is that these children are usually found and reunited with their parents in a matter of hours – and that there are currently zero recorded cases of abduction on Walt Disney World property.
Considering the crowds and the chaos, it’s admittedly all too easy to lose sight of a child at Walt Disney World. However, rest assured that Cast Members are trained on what to do in these situations.
The general procedure is to call a manager and security, who ask for a recent picture and further details to notify other Cast Members. If a Cast Member spots a child before their parent finds them, they’ll escort them to the Park’s Baby Care Center, where they’re reassured that they didn’t get lost; their parents got lost.
Despite the heat in the Disney battle so far, a crowd of cadaver dogs descending upon Magic Kingdom still seems totally beyond the realm of possible DeSantis revenge plans. However, if the state of Florida does want to conduct a search, we happen to know a house where they can find 999 happy haunts…