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The board brought in by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World revealed it has found a new agreement that allows the company to set its own utility rates at its Orlando theme parks.
In a public meeting on Wednesday, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said it learned about new "11th-hour agreements" following negotiations from a Disney subsidiary in February to extend its contract through 2032.
"Last Friday afternoon I learned for the first time about one of these new 11th-hour agreements entered into between Disney and the district," Chairman Martin Garcia said during Wednesday's meeting. "This one relates to our utility services.
"We'll have to evaluate the legality of that agreement, that essentially enables Disney to set their utility rates. I've never heard of such a thing."
The announcement arrived after the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District previously revealed in March that an agreement made by Disney and Reedy Creek Improvement District—who the board were handpicked by DeSantis to replace—severely restricted the incoming board's powers.
On March 29, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said that before DeSantis signed a bill giving the state control of the Reedy Creek district, which had allowed Disney to run as its own self-governing authority in Florida for over 50 years, that the district signed another deal with Disney that handed control of its development rights and special privileges to the company, essentially allowing the company to remain self-governing.
The move from DeSantis to replace the agreement between Disney and Reedy Creek was seen as a retaliation after the company objected to the governor's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools. DeSantis has said he is trying to remove the "unfair advantage" that Disney currently has with its special privileges to operate in the state.
The discovery of the deal was seen as humiliating for DeSantis, who has targeted Disney as part of his ongoing battle against the "woke agenda" in Florida.
Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to face off against DeSantis in the 2024 GOP primary, recently wrote on Truth Social that the governor had been "outplayed, outsmarted, and embarrassed by Mickey Mouse and Disney."
On Wednesday, David Thompson, of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board, accused Disney of trying to "subvert the will of the people of Florida in a backroom deal" with Reedy Creek.
"For over 50 years, Disney had enjoyed a sweetheart deal that exempted it from the type of government regulation that every other business in the state complies with," Thomson said.
"The bottom line is that Disney engaged in a caper worthy of Scrooge McDuck to try to evade Florida law. Its efforts are illegal. And they will not stand."
The Walt Disney Company has been contacted for comment via email.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more