(NewsNation) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday teased legislation that would revoke Disney’s development agreement and allow state officials to inspect park rides — a measure it was previously exempt from.
Instead, rides at Walt Disney World will be examined by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Before, rides in special governmental districts, which Disney World is currently in, did not have to undergo these inspections, and did their own.
A Monday statement from The Walt Disney Company said its inspectors are “leaders in the industry,” while experts who spoke to the Associated Press said large theme park operators could have expertise examining sophisticated rides that state and local agencies do not.
But DeSantis, however, said at a news conference that he and Florida lawmakers “want to make sure that Disney lives under the same laws as everybody else.”
This is part of an ongoing feud between the Republican politician, who many think could be a contender in the 2024 presidential primaries, and The Walt Disney Company. It started last year, after Disney publicly opposed Florida legislation forbidding instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
To retaliate, DeSantis signed a law reorganizing Disney World’s company-controlled government, which allowed him to appoint five members to the Board of Supervisors. This board was previously controlled by Disney.
Recently, though, members of the governing board appointed by DeSantis said most of their power was stripped by their Disney-controlled predecessors before they could take their seats.
“They talked about a development agreement that would render everything we did null and void,” DeSantis said. “Well, that’s not going to work. That’s not going to fly.”
Disney said in a statement that the agreement was based on a comprehensive plan that state officials approved last summer, the Associated Press reported.
But on Monday, DeSantis claimed the agreement between Disney and the previous supervisors was illegal — and said lawmakers could end it.
Legislative action on this is expected on this next week, DeSantis said.
At the press conference, DeSantis gave his own suggestions for what a new board, or lawmakers, could do with Disney’s 27,000 acres in Florida.
At a press conference, DeSantis suggested that the new board or lawmakers could take other actions with Disney’s 27,000 acres in central Florida, such as building a state park, a competing theme park or a prison.
“People have said…..create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks,” he said. “Someone even said ‘Maybe you need another state prison.’”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.