Gov. DeSantis Counter-Punches Disney Legal Maneuvering

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis displayed quite a counter-punch after the Walt Disney Company attempted a last-minute coup attempt.

Disney previously enjoyed a self-governing status for decades in the state and was recently stripped of that status. A state-appointed board is now overseeing the special district. But before the transfer of power actually took place, the old guard collided with the multinational corporation to cut the new board off at the knees. They signed an agreement that essentially gave Disney unlimited development power within the 27,000 acres it owns. 

It looked like Gov. DeSantis had been outplayed, but that is not the case. DeSantis had a plan in place to deal with Disney’s maneuvering. 

The governor immediately commissioned a report to find out about the legality of the old board’s actions, and it is already scoring some points for DeSantis. According to The Federalist, a problem has already been found that will kill Disney’s attempt to go around the voters in Florida.  

And in early April, DeSantis ordered an investigation into Disney’s last-minute seizure of power. One source indicated that the investigation already revealed that Disney skipped some key items when it amended its developmental agreement and the resolution could be dead on arrival. 

For instance, according to Florida law, all affected property owners should have been given notice by mail and that was skipped entirely by Disney. If this is the case, Disney would have to restart the process all over again. 

Gov. DeSantis is just putting his eggs in the legal basket, he is also taking action with the legislature to fight back. 

“What they tried to do is an embarrassment,” a senior administration source told The Washington 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.”

Some officials in Florida called Disney’s actions an illegal “poison pill” intended to undercut state supervision of its special tax district. They argued that the secret maneuver would be subject to swift legislative reversal.

“They got used to doing whatever they wanted for far too long,” one source said. “Not this time.”