Ron DeSantis ends his campaign for the White House: What that might mean for Disney
By Brian Miller
Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis has ended his bid for the White House. Over the weekend, after more poor voting results, DeSantis pulled out of the race. Now all he has is his fight with Disney.
When DeSantis passed a law in Florida regarding gender policies within the Florida education system, Disney stood on the side of those being affected by the law. That sent DeSantis on a rollercoaster of his own that ultimately ended the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The RCID is now managed under the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and it has been a rough road of legal battles and back-and-forth threats between DeSantis and the Disney company. With DeSantis now out of the race, he will return to Florida and his governorship.
There are several lawsuits filed from both sides awaiting hearings but we can safely assume that DeSantis, who doesn't take losing well, will most likely return to air more grievances against the House of Mouse.
Making all of this oddly inconsistent is that the CFTOD board approved Universal Studios to have its own RCID district, the very same type that DeSantis took away from Disney.
What will happen next? That is unclear but for those who know the politics of DeSantis, his dropping out could bring more legal issues and lawsuits against Disney if for no other reason, he can.
On the other side of the coin, perhaps his dropping out could soften the situation a bit. DeSantis doesn't have the platform to speak nationally and many believe his attacks on Disney were nothing more than a grandstanding for national attention with the election campaigns ramping up. With that no longer the case, DeSantis could turn his attention to the state as a whole and Disney may not be a priority as DeSantis has no gain in it now.
The CFTOD board and DeSantis are not going to give Disney back the rights to the RCID, that will happen in a courtroom if it ever does but the neighboring counties that now have to flip the tax bills and road repair work and other issues that may exist within the Disney property would love to see it go back to Mickey Mouse.