Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in April that takes away Disney’s special tax status that allowed Disney to operate relatively freely in the Sunshine State for over 50 years. Following the move, some social media users claimed that Disney was tax-exempt and would now be forced to pay $200 million in taxes a year.
What did this special tax status mean for Disney, and what will happen now that Disney no longer has it? And is Disney really on the hook to pay $200 million a year? Here’s how we fact-checked it.
This story is really complicated and, like with any complicated story, it’s important to get out of your echo chamber and read several articles to make sure you have a full grasp of the issue. There are several in-depth explainers out there about Disney and DeSantis. This one from FactCheck.org was really helpful.
According to their reporting, DeSantis revoked Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, which granted Disney limited governance over building regulations. This also gave Disney the power to maintain its own fire and police departments, utilities, and some control over taxes (more on that later).
The move to abolish the district was seen by some as an act of retaliation against Disney after the company announced that it opposed Florida’s new controversial “Parental Rights in Education” law, known as the Don’t Say Gay bill.
Basically, the law prohibits teachers from discussing gender identity or sexual orientation with kindergarten...
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