Editorial: Lawmakers should break the spell and defend Disney against DeSantis’ wrath

Once upon a time, a powerful wizard came to Central Florida from a far-distant land with a promise. He would transform a vast spread of drowsy acres dotted with orange groves and forests into a beacon of happiness and prosperity that would shine around the world. In return, he demanded a high price — a gift of power over that land, something he said was needed to support the magic he planned to will into being.

Even then, with the wizard himself standing before them, some doubted the wisdom of the bargain. But others were dazzled, and said yes. Walt Disney’s death, in December 1966, didn’t weaken the spell he cast: The next summer, the Florida Legislature approved the creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. And for more than 50 years, that district did exactly what Walt Disney envisioned and promised, creating the framework for a magical kingdom and so much more.

Reedy Creek supplied the water, the electricity, the streets and the meticulous planning that turned the acres the Walt Disney Corp. controlled into the most powerful economic force in Central Florida. Protected from the whim of local politics, the district nurtured the Disney resorts’ explosive growth.

Nobody foresaw a day when the vengeful, political whims of one man could turn the peaceful kingdom of Reedy Creek into Disney’s greatest vulnerability. And if Gov. Ron DeSantis is forced to return to Florida, embittered after watching his presidential aspirations burn, there is no telling the mischief he could wreak. Someone must stop him. And those champions must rise from a group he has already conquered: The Florida Legislature, which should act in the coming session to curb the governor’s grasp over the former district.

DeSantis has already done considerable damage, treating the district’s leadership as a treasure chest that he has invited unqualified political allies to plunder and — as documented by the blog Seeking Rents, causing long-time, loyal public servants to flee. His shenanigans have already led to the company pulling the plug on a development that would have brought thousands of jobs to Lake Nona.

If he chooses, he can command those cronies to wreak real havoc — acting in ways that disrupt Disney’s transportation network, shut off the power with the parks at their fullest or throttle water supplies just as tourists are returning to hundreds of hotel rooms after long days of play under Florida’s sun.

Would he do it? Nobody knows. But lawmakers can be sure of one thing. If they don’t modify the laws that grant the governor so much power, DeSantis almost certainly knows how much damage he can do: Earlier this year he spoke of ways he could hamper Disney’s kingdoms by leasing land to rival parks, seizing it for a state prison or taking other action aimed directly at the economic viability of the Disney properties.

There is so much at stake. A recent assessment commissioned by the company claims that Disney pours more than $6.6 billion into state and local coffers, directly employs or supports one in every eight Central Florida jobs, links with 2,500 small businesses and brings nearly 60 million people here each year. And while Disney’s demands to act as its own government still raised eyebrows, nobody can deny that the company funded the infrastructure through its own wealth, not that of Orange and Osceola taxpayers.

That proves how dishonest DeSantis’ attacks have been from the start — with the claim that he’s going to force Disney to pay its fair share of the taxes needed to support the district. So when he said that his threats were just jokes, nobody laughed. The reality is that much of that wealth is now being funneled into the pockets of high-priced attorneys and no-bid contractors. Meanwhile, many of the district’s most trusted, knowledgeable employees are now gone, saying the atmosphere is now too toxic to bear.

It’s time for lawmakers to break the spell DeSantis has cast, and rewrite the law to curb his power and restore some semblance of ethics, accountability and trust to the district’s operations. After this editorial was published, we learned that Sen. Linda Stewart is working on legislation to undo the attack on local control. Other lawmakers should stand with her. If they don’t, Central Florida’s economy could be so devastated that not even wishing on a star will save it.

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The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com