Disney is one of the largest employers in Florida. Thanks to the theme parks near the city of Orlando, it also provides a lot of income from tourism.
Since the opening of the parks, Disney had a special status in Florida. It was allowed to manage the land on which the parks are located and behaved like a municipality.
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Disney itself was responsible for fire and ambulance services. The company also arranges its own garbage collection in and around the resorts and was allowed to collect taxes. In exchange for self-government, Disney received a tax credit.
Special status revoked
Governor Ron DeSantis is now putting an end to that. He signed a law that revokes Disney’s special status.
The change follows Disney’s condemnation of a bill passed in Florida last month. Nicknamed “Don’t say gay,” the law prohibits primary schools from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity in class.
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Disney initially kept quiet about the law. After the company had received a lot of criticism for this, the CEO decided to to speak against† He pledged support to the LGBTI community and stopped all political donations in Florida.
‘Disney Provocation’
The withdrawal of special status is seen as revenge for that position. In practice, it probably means that Disney will pay more tax.
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DeSantis lashed out at Disney. “It’s a California company that is using its economic power to attack my state. We see that as a provocation.”
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