The Walt Disney Company has remained largely silent since Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) restructured the district encompassing the Walt Disney World Resort, transferring control of the district's board from Disney to the state of Florida, but the head of the company's park division has opened up about the situation.
Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney parks, experiences, and products, said the company is ready to work with the new board because of the various governmental arrangements for its theme parks around the world.
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"The reality is we work with different people around the world at our different theme parks," D'Amaro said. "So we know how to work with different people. For all those reasons, I have to look at the situation of where we are going — I believe in where we are going — and I hope the board sees the same."
During an interview around Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort, D'Amaro said he is hopeful the new governor-appointed board will see the value the resort and district bring to the region.
"If that new board understands the value that gets created here and how it positively impacts the Central Florida community, I think they will be aligned with our vision and will carry on the Reedy Creek soul that's been in place," D'Amaro told the Orlando Business Journal.
DeSantis signed the bill last week, which takes some powers away from Disney in its central Florida district, ending what he called a "corporate kingdom."
"Allowing a corporation to control its own government is bad policy, especially when the corporation makes decisions that impact an entire region,” DeSantis said. “This legislation ends Disney’s self-governing status, makes Disney live under the same laws as everybody else, and ensures that Disney pays its debts and fair share of taxes.”
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The bill gives him the authority to appoint the board for the district while also renaming it to the "Central Florida Tourism Oversight District." The board is now populated with five people appointed by DeSantis and is set to meet for the first time Wednesday.
The battle between the governor and the company, which led to Disney's central Florida district being restructured, began after the company came out strongly against the state's Parental Rights in Education bill in March 2022.