The Florida House of Representatives has passed a bill that the Senate passed earlier this week that provides Florida officials with the oversight and responsibility to inspect the monorails at Walt Disney World Resort. This development comes as conflict continues between Florida Governor DeSantis and Disney with lawsuits from Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District being filed against each other this week.
The bill, which originated in the House of Representatives, was amended in the Senate which required the House to approve it before sending it to Governor DeSantis to be signed into law. What was passed today would require Disney to submit an annual safety plan to the Florida Department of Transportation. It would also require on-site visits every three years for confirmation of compliance along with other evaluations happening periodically in accordance with the Florida Department of Transportation’s rules.
Rep. Shane Abbott, R-DeFuniak Springs, said that inspections of are needed to make sure that Walt Disney World Resort guests are safe. “FDOT is looking at inspecting this so we know what issues do arise,” he said. “What this is important for is we don’t know what we don’t know right now.”
While the bill doesn’t specifically mention Disney by name, it is very narrowly focused on the way it is written and targets only Walt Disney World Resort. “This seems purely politically motivated and targeted toward one company, and that’s not the role government should play,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando.
This isn’t the only legislation that is making its way through the Florida legislature that is focused on Walt Disney World Resort. Another measure aims to give the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District the ability to cancel contracts made by its predecessor, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This measure was approved by the House and will make its way through the Senate before heading to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis.
These legislative initiatives come as the dispute between Disney and Governor Ron DeSantis continues after starting last year when Disney came out against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It appears since then that Governor DeSantis has been focused on retaliating against what he describes as “woke Disney.” It is very likely that these two legislative initiatives will not be the end of the dispute as the courts weigh in and there seems to be no end in sight.
Daps Magic will continue to follow the developments of this story and provide updates as they become available. What do you think about this development? What do you think should be the resolution? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
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