Few bills have ever become law in a shorter period of time but Friday afternoon Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis just signed legislation stripping Disney of its special status, created in 1967, that essentially mandates the California-based entertainment giant to provide the same services as local governments.
DeSantis demanded the legislation one week ago in a vengeful direct attack on Disney, which publicly opposed his anti-LGBTQ “Don’t Say Gay” law after it had passed. It passed both chambers in a 24-hour period as GOP lawmakers bowed down to his will.
The move according to top Florida journalists and news outlets will raise taxes on Orlando residents by an estimated $2200 per family, force that county to take on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt annually, and absolve Disney of up to $2 billion in debt.
The Associated Press’s Zeke Miller and The New York Times first reported the news.
“Widely seen as retaliation, Mr. DeSantis’s move vividly illustrated just how drastically the G.O.P. has transformed from the days when its leaders mostly moved in lock step with the nation’s largest businesses,” The Times noted.