DeSantis-Backed Board Officially Takes Over Disney World Property

in Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World (on the right) VS. Governor DeSantis (on the left) collage

Credit: Inside the Magic

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s hand-selected Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board voted to enact strict code enforcement on Walt Disney World Resort on Wednesday.

Amid multiple lawsuits between The Walt Disney Company and the Republican Governor, the new Reedy Creek authorities resolved to appoint code enforcement officers and a special magistrate to handle code citation appeals. Fines for any person or entity violating codes written by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board range from $75 to $500. The appointed magistrate, who must be a licensed attorney in Florida, can assign liens against properties owned by those refusing to pay said fines.

Board members did not specify strictly which codes officers would enforce but wrote that there would be four tiers of violations. They also voted to hire Glenton Gilzean Jr. as District Administrator and CEO of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, offering him $400,000 annually.

Reedy Creek Fire Department
Credit: Reedy Creek Fire Department Website

Previously passed resolutions include banning COVID-19 safety protocols in the district and claiming superior authority over the former Reedy Creek board, which had rushed an agreement to make itself effectively powerless before handing control to the new board.

The code enforcement resolution is just part of a year-long conflict between Gov. DeSantis and The Walt Disney Company. It began in March of 2022 when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek ignored DeSantis’s warnings and spoke out against the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Fans previously protested Disney’s campaign donations to politicians that supported the legislation, which the company later paused. In response, the conservative Governor introduced and passed legislation to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

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