Desantis' New Disney World Board Meets

Florida -- March 8, 2023: The first meeting of the new board of Walt Disney World's
administration, which was reorganized by broad

legislation signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as retaliation for Disney publicly opposing Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, focused on the routine issues any other municipal government would deal with, such as requests for better firefighter equipment, instructions on how to request public records, and bond ratings.

The five DeSantis-appointed board members did, however, made some controversial suggestions on Wednesday, including the possibility of forbidding COVID-19 restrictions at Disney World and removing two cities that were established in 1967 when the Florida Legislature approved the theme park resort's self-governance.

Recommending the abolition of two cities that were established when the Florida Legislature granted the theme park resort self-governance in 1967, would be another possible course of action.

At a hotel ballroom near Disney World, the new board members mostly listened as members of the public and staff from the district's departments described what they did.

The main difference between the new board established by DeSantis and the old one controlled by Disney, according to Martin Garcia, the board's new head, will be a wider constituency spanning more than just a single firm, instead also representing workers and people of nearby municipalities.

The other new board members for what is called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District included Bridget Ziegler, a conservative school board member and wife of the Florida Republican party chairman Christian Ziegler; Brian Aungst Jr., an attorney and son of a former two-term Republican mayor of Clearwater; Mike Sasso, an attorney; and Ron Peri, head of The Gathering USA ministry.

For the previous 55 years, when the government operated as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, they replaced a board that was under the control of Disney.

The Disney district was taken over by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature last year when the media giant, under pressure, publicly opposed "Don't Say Gay," a law that forbids teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity to children in kindergarten through third grade as well as other lessons deemed inappropriate for that age group.

DeSantis  punished the business, ordering the GOP-controlled legislature to disband Disney's self-governing district during a special session, creating a monitored restructuring procedure.

WNCtimes by Marjorie Farrington