DeSantis Wants to Change Disney's Rides, Attractions and Monorails

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to reveal a new approach to how the Walt Disney World Resort operates.

The relationship between Disney and the state of Florida is strained, to say the least. It all started last year when The Walt Disney Company publicly denounced Gov. Ron DeSantis’ highly controversial “Parental Rights in Education” bill, which was more commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. After choosing to side against DeSantis, he, along with other conservative figures, lead an attack against the company, pushing to remove Disney’s legal protections in Florida.

Although Walt Disney World is located in Orlando, Florida, a majority-conservative state, the Disney theme Parks tend to stay as non-political as possible. While this has changed in recent years, The Walt Disney Company tends to stay out of politics for the most part. However, last year there was a bill passed in the Florida House that had the potential to affect thousands of LGBTQ youth in the state, which Disney backhandedly supported.

Disney preaches inclusivity within its Parks, movies, entertainment, and advertisement, so it may come as a surprise that the company has actually helped to fund supporters of this “Don’t say gay” bill. The Senate sponsor, Ocala Republican Dennis Baxley, has actually backed anti-gay legislation in Florida for years. Baxley once compared kids with same-sex parents to kids raised by alcoholics and abusers, saying: “I’m not phobic, but I simply can’t affirm homosexuality.”

The next year, The Walt Disney Company wrote Baxley a check, with the most recent one coming in last year.

After word spread of The Walt Disney Company supporting such a bill, Disney faced massive amounts of criticism and backlash. Disney reportedly gave money to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of the bill, giving a somewhat mixed message of inclusivity while also standing behind a bill that could potentially affect thousands of already at-risk youth. This revelation in early 2022 caused confusion and anger for many devoted Disney Guests and fans alike.

Eventually, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke about the bill, though for many, his approach was very disappointing. His statements lead to multiple walkouts and protests at Disney’s headquarters in California as well as other locations like Pixar’s animation studio.

Following The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek’s divisive statement against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Republican politicians from around the country spoke out against the Walt Disney Company, the most prominent figure being Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

When asked if Disney Cast Members feel represented and defended, Chapek said they’re a “big, happy family.”

“I think our staff saw how I stood firm during the ultimate barrage of attacks from certain political constituencies and, frankly, I think it was much stronger and much longer and much harder than they ever could have imagined, and we stood our ground,” Chapek said. “So I think it’s safe to say that actions speak louder than words, and they saw resiliency and consistency no matter how strong the attacks.”

Fast-forward a year later, Disney lost control of its Reedy Creek Improvement District for choosing to speak out against the bill.

Disney developed a special district decades ago called the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This legislation essentially allowed Walt Disney World to act as its own form of government, with Disney employing public service workers such as firefighters, security, and police, as well as their own Cast Members who work in the theme parks. This ruling allowed Disney to develop projects and expansions much faster, though, as we said, this district came to an end in early 2023.

Since the state takeover of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, things have only gotten uglier, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seemingly going out of his way to get “revenge” on the company. Shortly after the takeover, DeSantis claimed that they were looking into increasing taxes on all hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort, something that would affect Guests directly. He also revealed a plan to possibly add toll booths across the Disney World property, another move that would greatly affect Guests.

Now, according to a new report from the New York Post, the Florida Gov. isn’t showing any signs of retreat. Gov. DeSantis is expected to unveil a new plan Monday regarding his approach to the takeover of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The new measures from DeSantis will reportedly be run through the State Legislature. One of the main goals of this move will be to void the development agreement contract, which was changed days before handing it off to the state of Florida. This move won Disney a lot of praise, especially when considering how surprising it was. Disney’s team of lawyers and legal analysts did a bang-up job on the hand-off, adding several new classes into the documents that essentially tied the hands of anyone who would take it over.

The most interesting element of this agreement is that there are several terms that are defined to expire “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England….” It’s obvious to anyone that Disney is basically having a laugh at the expense of Ron DeSantis and the other leaders taking over the district.

The clause also says that the Declaration will terminate “as of the date that none of [Walt Disney Parks & Resorts] owns any real property within 10 miles of the RCID properties.” This means that the terms of the previous agreement are valid for at least 21 years, if not much longer. This meant the power the new board had over the district was minuscule at best. The clause is what’s known as a “royal lives clause” and is usually set for a lifetime plus 21 years after the death of the current reigning British monarch.

“We’re going to have to deal with it and correct it,” board member Brian Aungst said of the last-minute agreements, according to the Associated Press. “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”

“All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” Disney said in a statement earlier this month following DeSantis’ claims that what The Walt Disney Company did was wrong.

One of the other things Gov DeSantis is expected to address Monday is new inspections and safety procedures at the Walt Disney World Resort. This would affect the iconic monorail systems as well as rides and attractions within the four theme parks.

For those who don’t know, there’s been a longstanding ruling in the state of Florida that provided Disney exemption from state inspections. This ruling also extended to Universal Studios and SeaWorld, as well as other facilities that employed at least 1,000 workers. With DeSantis now in charge, it’s possible that this exemption could be dissolved.

“What they tried to do is an embarrassment,” a source told The Post. “The narrative the left is spinning is that Gov. DeSantis was outmaneuvered. But this is far from over, and he’s going to have the last laugh.”

Officials were not happy with how things went, with those on DeSantis’ side calling Disney’s move a “poison pill.”

“They got used to doing whatever they wanted for far too long,” said one source. “Not this time. “He’s not afraid of a fight on this.”

Only time will tell how this whole situation plays out between Florida and The Walt Disney Company. Things get even more complicated when you remember that Ron DeSantis could be a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Though he’s not officially filed to run for president, it’s likely he will put his name in the running, meaning things could only get messier for Disney in the long run.

Gov DeSantis will hold the press conference to discuss changes to Disney World operations at 12:45 p.m. Monday.

What do you think about this development? Stay tuned here at Inside the Magic for all your Disney news!