by: Bradley Jager

April 20, Florida’s Republican-led senate passed a bill that would remove Disney world’s privilege as a special tax district. The law seeks to eliminate special tax districts including the Reedy Creek Improvement District in Orlando. That structure makes Disney, which is one of the state’s largest private employers, responsible for providing and paying for services such as emergency, power, water and roads. They in turn get relief from any state taxes and fees. In a short poll, 1/3 of Bellbrook students had little to no idea of the Disney special district.

Ron DeSantis, the conservative Governor of Florida and potential 2024 Republican presidential nominee, is supporting the bill. This is only one of his controversial attempted movements. In another poll, only a little over half of Bellbrook students knew who DeSantis was and very few of those cared for or supported the man, likely caused by his extreme backing of the Parental Rights in Education also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The governor first proposed the redistricting shortly after Disney denounced the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and took an overtly pro-LGBTQ+ stance on the matter.