FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks, Feb. 15, 2023, at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla. Gov. DeSantis has signed a bill to give himself control of Walt Disney Worlds self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called Dont Say Gay law. The bill requires DeSantis, a Republican, to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services that the Disney district provides in its sprawling theme park properties in Florida.
"Today the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end," he said at a bill signing ceremony in Lake Buena Vista."There's a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day."and marks a high-profile legislative victory for a governor whose leveraging of cultural and political divides has pushed him to the fore of national Republican politics.
DeSantis moved to quickly to penalize the company, directing lawmakers in the GOP-dominated Legislature to dissolve Disney's self-governing district during a special legislative session last year, beginning a closely watched restructuring process. The new law changes the district’s name from the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and subjects it to various layers of state oversight. Board members are currently named through entities controlled by Disney.