At Hillsdale, DeSantis doubles down on fight with Disney, outlines new actions

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back at Disney during remarks Thursday at Hillsdale College, announcing Florida's state Legislature was looking to dissolve an agreement restraining a DeSantis-appointed board overseeing Walt Disney World.

The Republican governor told attendees at the Michigan address that state lawmakers would also eye hotel taxes, road tolls and the possibility of building new developments on the property.

"They are not superior to the people of Florida," DeSantis told Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn. "Come hell or high water, we're going to make sure that that policy of Florida carries the day.

"They can keep trying to do things but, ultimately, we’re going to win on every single issue involving Disney. I can tell you that."

The remarks Thursday night came at the end of DeSantis' day-long visit to Michigan that began with remarks in Midland in the morning and ended at the conservative college in Hillsdale that night.

Disney did not immediately return an email seeking comment. But Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier this week criticized the state's fight at the company's annual shareholders meeting.

“The governor got very angry about the position Disney took and seems like he’s decided to retaliate against us, including the naming of a new board to oversee the property and the business," Iger said, according to CNBC. "In effect, to seek to punish a company for its exercise of a constitutional right. And that just seems really wrong to me.”

DeSantis' message to Disney is the latest in a months-long fight between DeSantis and the company that was sparked when Disney publicly opposed Florida legislation that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

In retaliation, DeSantis appointed five new supervisors to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which was set up by the Florida Legislature to oversee the theme park resort's 27,000 acres, The Associated Press reported. The board had been controlled by Disney for the last 55 years.

"Do they have a, quote, First Amendment right to be advocating for gender ideology in kindergarten? Yeah, I guess," DeSantis said in Michigan on Thursday.

"...But what I can tell you is under no circumstances should the state of Florida be subsidizing woke activism by allowing them to have their own government. So we took it away."

Last week, the new board members appointed by DeSantis said their predecessors before leaving had entered restrictive covenants in perpetuity barring the district from using the name "Disney" or any associated symbols without the theme park's permission.

DeSantis said Thursday that Disney is acting "like they pulled one over on the state," but he warned the company should expect a response from the Legislature in the coming months.

"The Legislature is going to void anything Disney did on the way out the door," DeSantis said.

"Now that Disney has reopened this issue, we're not just going to void the development agreement they tried to do. We're going to look at things like taxes on the hotels. We're going to look at things like tolls on the roads. We're going to look at things like developing some of the property that the district owns."

The Associated Press contributed.

eleblanc@detroitnews.com