DeSantis-tapped board would control Disney World tax district under plan

Reedy or not, here he comes.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to wrest away control of Disney World’s special tax district with a remade supervisory board comprised of his appointees.

After a bruising public fight with Florida’s largest employer last year over its criticism of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, DeSantis initially sought to dissolve the Disney-run Reedy Creek Improvement District completely.

But Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature unveiled a new tack this week — renaming the RCID and stocking it with oversight board members tapped by the governor.

“The Corporate Kingdom is over,” tweeted DeSantis spokesman Bryan Redfern. “The legislation imposes a state-controlled board with members appointed by the governor on Disney and its property.”

Lawmakers are expected to approve the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District this week, and hope to have it installed within two years.

DeSantis first collided with Disney after the entertainment juggernaut opposed a bill that restricted classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for young children.

The governor argued that the ban — which applies to kids in kindergarten through the third grade — protects younger students from sexualized content.

After initially keeping its distance from the controversy, Disney eventually denounced the legislation as hostile to the LGBTQ community and vowed to combat it.

DeSantis bristled at Disney’s objections, asserting that the House of Mouse was wading into leftist activism — and questioned its privileged near-autonomy.

If approved, the new district would strip Disney of its control over 39 square miles in Orange and Osceola counties, a position it has enjoyed since 1967, when construction started on the theme park.

Under the current Reedy Creek arrangement, Disney runs its own police and fire departments, issues bonds, levies taxes and dictates land use.

The company can also assert eminent domain claims outside the district — a right that would dissolve with the new board.

The remade body would also be prohibited from approving projects like airports and stadiums, and could no longer use tax dollars to fund advertising.

The proposal would expel Disney-endorsed board appointees and replace them with DeSantis-backed members serving four-year terms, with no member able to serve more than three terms each.

Would-be appointees with ties to Disney would be disqualified from consideration.

Local officials initially worried that terminating Reedy Creek outright would saddle local municipalities with the company’s debt obligations, but Florida lawmakers said that maintaining the special district would keep Disney’s roughly billion-dollar tax obligation in place.

Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Vahle said the company is monitoring the legislation and assessing its implications.

“Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world,” he said in a statement, “and regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year.”