The Republican-led Florida legislature voted Thursday to repeal Walt Disney World’s status as a self-governing entity, the action coming after Disney publicly opposed a parental rights bill recently signed into law that bans classroom instruction of sexual orientation and gender theory for K-3 students.
While it comes as no surprise that the left, to include much of the media, take great exception to the legislation eliminating the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is what the Disney-controlled government is called, so too did the usual suspects on the right who stake out the moral high ground to criticize more aggressive Republicans, such as Gov. Ron DeSantis, who not only fights back against the progressive onslaught but seems to prefer going on the offensive in today’s cultural wars.
Political commentator David French, who bills himself as a conservative, was one of those out front condemning DeSantis for orchestrating the decision — in the name of free speech.
He tweeted, “I’d say that the right’s about-face on free speech is surprising, but nothing shocks me anymore. I guess it’s still wrong for San Antonio to target Chick-fil-A? But it’s right for DeSantis to target Disney?”
The Reedy Creek Improvement District, a 39-square-mile area, was given to Disney over 50 years ago, the autonomy being “a crucial element in the company’s plans to build near Orlando in the 1960s,” according to Orlando-based WKMG-TV. The special district allows Disney to control construction and development around its parks with almost no government interference. It’s safe to suggest that the company’s competition, beginning with Universal Studios, is not mourning the development.
French, who was once dubbed “the ‘Never Trump’ white knight candidate” by The Washington Post, was either seriously misinformed here or being intentionally deceptive — he personifies the cabal of charlatans quick to exploit conservatives desperately looking for someone, anyone, to take a stand and speak the truth.
Social media users were quick to educate him on the differences at play between Disney and Chick-fil-A, as seen here:
It’s pretty incredible, David, that you care so little for your own reputation & credentials that you’re willing to piss all over them by habitually lying about what free speech does & does not mean, thereby doing incalculable harm to people’s value of it.
— Calvin Freiburger (@CalFreiburger) April 21, 2022
I really don’t get why David French doesn’t understand the difference between revoking special privileges and not allowing to exist. It’s baffling.
— Howard Prime (@BluishCheckMark) April 21, 2022
Is the Chick fil A in San Antonio the size of a small city that gets to govern itself and receive state funds? We’ll wait.
— JG (@jgiambrone22) April 21, 2022
Is there a difference bt revoking a special privilege (Disney) and outright denying access (chik fil a)?
— MariaBaerWrites (@MariaforW) April 21, 2022
San Antonio outright tried to ban Chick-fil-A, Florida is taking away a privilege no other business has nor is Florida taking away Disney’s free speech. This is just you virtual signaling to your pals in the MSM. https://t.co/VpA2JAVlpO
— Jacob Airey (@realJacobAirey) April 21, 2022
An illiberal left creates an illiberal right. Conservatism is definitionally reactionary. This is the reaction. As a value, I dislike it. As a tactic, it is good, moral, and right. Mutually Assured Destruction is a good policy. Allowing your cities to be nuked is a bad policy. https://t.co/R6ZduLoBj1
— Jeremy Boreing (@JeremyDBoreing) April 21, 2022
How is removing massive privileges that allow Disney to violate laws that the rest of Florida’s businesses obey “targeting” Disney?
I have been lobbying to reverse Disney’s unlawful privileges for over a decade.
Level the playing field. https://t.co/lqPlI4LYlz
— Michael O’Fallon – Sovereign Nations (@SovMichael) April 22, 2022
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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