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DeSantis strikes back at Disney, jokes about building new prison next to Magic Kingdom, left goes bonkers

April 18, 2023 | | Print Article

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered on his vow to crack down on Disney after the “woke” entertainment giant tried to pull a fast one to undercut the new board tasked with overseeing the special district in which the company’s theme parks are located and the House of Mouse may soon rue the day that they messed with the no-nonsense Republican leader.

On Monday, DeSantis made good on his vow to slap down the sneaky move by the outgoing board of the Reedy Creek Improvement District that oversees the company’s sprawling theme parks by holding a press conference in Lake Buena Vista, right smack dab in the middle of Disney’s turf, where he announced that the state legislature would soon move to thwart the special covenant that would have kept Disney in total control over the special area in perpetuity, despite a law passed last year dissolving what was effectively a private government that some have likened to the Vatican.

“Disney’s sloppy and futile attempt to subvert the will of the Legislature and Floridians was uncovered by our state oversight board and their 11th-hour agreements will be nullified by the Legislature,” the governor wrote on Twitter. “Disney’s corporate kingdom is over.”

The last ditch effort to thwart the oversight of the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District relied on a nifty bit of trickery in the form of a “royal clause” that would have kept Disney in control of the district until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England living as of the date of this declaration,” legal chicanery that was blasted by officials as an illegal “poison pill” that would be reversed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, on Monday, DeSantis made it official.

“And so I’ve worked with both leaders of the House and Senate. There is a bill that will be put out in the Florida Legislature that will make sure that the agreements purported to be entered into by Disney are revoked and the people’s will is established,” he said. ‘We will not have one corporation serving as its own government.”

But it was the governor’s comments about other uses for the unused land in the vicinity and that the state could potentially construct a new prison next door to the Magic Kingdom that triggered leftists, a remark that was taken completely out of context despite it being obvious that DeSantis was joking.

“Maybe create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks,” he said. “Someone even said like, maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I mean, I just think that the possibilities are endless.”

“Ron DeSantis just threatened to build a state prison next to Disney World. All because they don’t hate gay people,” tweeted the foul-mouthed new leader of the rump of Florida’s state Democratic party, former weed lobbyist Nikki Fried.

The former agriculture commissioner and failed gubernatorial hopeful, like other Dems, continues to lean into the big lie about the so-called “don’t say gay bill,” the parental rights law that Disney unwisely chose to use as the reason to pick a fight with the governor, a fight that it is badly losing.

Other outbursts from the moonbat fever swamp of Resistance Twitter:

“Who else finds it disgustingly ironic that the party who claims to care about children and crime, wants to now build a State prison next to an amusement park that accommodates 25 Million+ children annually, all because of childish grudge?” Leftist influencer Brian Krassenstein whined. “Young families will remember this disgusting rhetoric when the polls open in 2024.”

A defiant Disney doubled down by announcing it was rolling out an “after dark” version of Pride Nite in its California park for the very special month set aside to worship the very special demographic, learning nothing from the backlash that has done severe damage to what was once a solid gold brand from back in the days when the company put out high quality, family-friendly entertainment that generations of Americans enjoyed before its foray into sexual identity politics and left-wing propaganda.

“Disney’s corporate kingdom is over – despite their repeated and futile attempts to circumvent the Legislature and the will of the people,” DeSantis said in a statement on the governor’s website. “Their cheerleaders in the media thought that Disney ‘outsmarted’ the state, but the new control board uncovered their sloppy scheme, and the agreements will be nullified by new legislation that I intend to execute. Disney will operate on a level playing field with every other business in Florida. I look forward to the additional actions that the state control board will implement in the upcoming days.”

“The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stands ready to work with Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on ideas to increase public safety. Nobody wants more bureaucracy and mindless red tape from government, but we should always consider appropriate safety measures consistent with actual risk,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, according to the statement. “The Legislature will close a loophole, resulting in a better experience for visitors and residents in the Sunshine State who enjoy our many theme parks.”

“It’s time for Disney executives to have a sober conversation and retake the company from the radical ideologies that have hijacked it,” said state Rep. Carolina Amesty, who was one of the GOP lawmakers who appeared with DeSantis.

“You are in the business of entertaining children and families. You are not in the business of social reengineering or promoting radical political ideologies. And if you think you are, we have good news for you. As our great governor has said, Florida is a place where woke goes to die,” Amesty added.

 

Chris Donaldson
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