Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday revoked Disney World’s special self-governing powers in his state. The decision comes nearly 11 months after the company founded by Walt Disney criticized its controversial education program, Reuters and Business Insider reported.

The new law, which gives the governor more power over Disney World, marks a legislative victory for DeSantis, a rising GOP star who is expected to announce his 2024 presidential bid.

Now, former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, have officially announced that they will run for the White House next year.

Business Insider notes that the battle between DeSantis and Disney is one of the most prominent examples of how a Republican governor has used state power to crack down on corporations and local organizations, marking a marked departure from the GOP’s philosophy and the policies of others. politicians

“Today, the corporate kingdom is ending. There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability is the order of the day,” DeSantis said Monday at a press conference at a fire station on Disney property.

The special status that Disney had in Florida

Since the establishment of its theme park in Florida in 1967, the American amusement giant has had the freedom to choose the members of the board of supervisors of the county where it is located, since it owns most of the land there.

This gave Disney almost complete control over all decisions related to local government, with the company effectively having the authority at the local level that the national government has.

However, DeSantis abolished the district in question and replaced it with a new administrative unit in which Disney owners, employees or operators are prohibited from serving on the board of supervisors.

“It’s been decades of subsidies and benefits that really only benefited this powerful company, and now we’re just leveling the playing field. And what’s good for SeaWorld is good for Disney,” DeSantis said, noting that other theme parks in the state he manages have not enjoyed such benefits.

Criticism of Ron DeSantis’ actions

Several Republican politicians criticized DeSantis’ actions, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to announce his 2024 GOP presidential bid.

“Disney stepped into the void, they lost, but then [decizia luată de] the tax authority is going beyond the boundaries that I, as a state conservative, am willing to cross,” Pence told CNBC.

At the heart of the dispute between the governor of Florida and Disney is the company’s publicly expressed objections to the law adopted in this state in the south of the USA, a legislative act dubbed by the American press as “don’t say gay”. “law.

The law prohibits kindergarten through third grade teachers from providing children with information about sexual orientation and gender identity. But its opponents say it contains ambiguous wording that allows the ban to be extended to teachers who teach older students.

Some Florida school boards complain they don’t understand what rules to follow, and critics also charge the law encourages bullying of LGBT students.