A board set up by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to oversee Walt Disney World's special taxing district has set aside $4.5 million to do legal battle with the corporation over the next year, reported The Washington Post on Thursday.
The board, stacked by DeSantis' allies, was set up after a fight broke out when Disney stood up against some of the governor's right-wing policies. It oversees a kind of freestanding county that the theme park sits in and controls how the area operates – and how it's taxed.
In a meeting Wednesday, the board approved a $194.5 million budget for the next fiscal year. It includes the $4.5 million for legal fees expected for the fight with Disney.
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The Washington Post reported that $1.9 million has already been spent this past year on lawyers.
The board cut other budgets, including $3 million that was shaved off money earmarked for paving 134 miles of roads.
Recently, its appointees moved to strip district workers of their annual Disney passes, which blindsided local firefighters.
“I think you have a bunch of novices trying to run a really complex operation,” said attorney and business expert Chad Emerson. “Disney had 50 years or so of doing this and had figured out how to make it run and how to make the guest experience great. I don’t think these folks care much about the guest experience.”
DeSantis' feud with Disney, a longtime mainstay in Florida politics, began when the company criticized his controversial legislation virtually eliminating any mention of sexual orientation from public schools. The governor retaliated by moving to take over the district's board, and even threatened to toll roadways into the area or build a state prison on nearby land.
Disney has responded by suing DeSantis, alleging a violation of their First Amendment rights.
The resulting fight has cost Florida taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees, and in recent months, DeSantis has tried to back off the feud, claiming that Disney instigated the controversy and he simply wants to move on.
