Ron DeSantis has fashioned himself as a younger version of Donald Trump, one who actually has self-control, who’s laser-focused in his determination to defeat the “woke” left. But maybe he’s just a cosplaying doofus in way over his head. For one thing, Trump has been clobbering him at the polls. Now his attempt to one-up Disney has blown up spectacularly in his face.
As per Click Orlando, a board of DeSantis-picked cronies who were set to take over the land on and around Disney World in Orlando, Florida were in for a rude awakening when they convened on Wednesday morning. They were set to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which served as the governing jurisdiction of the land, which has long had its own government independent of the state.
Instead they found out that back in February, the Reedy Creek board and Disney had reached a special agreement that handed direct control of the district’s development rights and privileges over to the powerful corporation. That means DeSantis’ board has almost no power to do anything, which they only discovered during their first meeting.
Upon learning this, board member Ron Peri, one of five on the team, was shocked and appalled. “I cannot tell you the level of my disappointment in Disney. I thought so much better of them. This essentially makes Disney the government,” he lamented. “This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure.”
As per Above the Law, DeSantis offered a meek response, claiming the agreement “may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law.”
The office of @GovRonDeSantis just issued this statement in response to Disney’s last-minute agreement with the former Reedy Creek board. 6/ pic.twitter.com/0ADQrnXXCx
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) March 29, 2023
Problem is, he and his lawyers may have trouble proving that. For one thing, the board and Disney did this all out in the open, as per Florida law. DeSantis simply didn’t do anything to stop it. Maybe he was too busy spouting huffing and puffing on Fox News to notice.
An unnamed Walt Disney World spokesperson responded by email with this statement. 4/ pic.twitter.com/AAY9bdmMz3
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) March 29, 2023
For another, Reedy Creek and Disney ensured that their deal will last a good, long time. The agreement contains a clause declaring that the declaration will last until “twenty one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III.” That is quite a long time.
The clause about King Charles III is absolutely real. The agreement — from the 2/8/23 Reedy Creek board meeting — can be found on https://t.co/6ZQMDUaVME. It appears to have been posted days after @GovRonDeSantis signed the law he says was “ending the Corporate Kingdom”. 5/ pic.twitter.com/CT9hYyIr28
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) March 29, 2023
In other words, Bob Iger beat Ron DeSantis at his own game. Maybe a mid-40s upstart politician who models his hand gestures after a guy who now considers him his number one enemy is no match for a guy who runs one of the largest corporations on the planet.
News that DeSantis got pantsed, and not by the guy who refuses to call him “Meatball Ron,” led to a lot of jokes.
Bob Iger looking at Ron DeSantis: pic.twitter.com/FxX8u7pqjY
— Joshua Gale (@joshuagale75) March 29, 2023
today's disney board meeting after bob iger took out desantis and ike perlmutter. pic.twitter.com/yzisLt1V9t
— ben schwartz (@benschwartz_) March 29, 2023
By the transitive property, Bob Iger is now Emperor of Florida. https://t.co/xiFn9vHbB4
— Reed Galen (@reedgalen) March 29, 2023
Maybe we should put Bob Iger in charge of the Democratic Party. He seems to be able to handle Republicans pretty slickly https://t.co/jiv7aKY8Ju
— Kathryn Rubino (@Kathryn1) March 29, 2023
Bob Iger coming out to his first interview since making DeSantis look like a fucking idiot. pic.twitter.com/attzUHlsnF
— gesaffelstein, DEI (@BlaktimusPrime) March 29, 2023
I don't think anyone should be surprised that Bob Iger is smarter than Ron DeSantis. https://t.co/TapjbU2rEu
— Joe Patrice (@JosephPatrice) March 29, 2023
Iger had a big day Wednesday. News broke that he’d also fired Isaac Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment (then Marvel Comics) since 2005 and a key part of it since the ‘90s, as part of overall layoffs. Perlmutter has not been looked on kindly by Disney brass for over a decade, and besides, he’s had diminished power anyway. He hasn’t been involved in their movies since 2015, and he lost control over the TV wing in 2019.
The one-two punch of Iger squashing DeSantis and Perlmutter led to still more jokes.
Bob Iger doing the Layla montage tonight. Chilling stuff. pic.twitter.com/QPEruaFenF
— Bob Rock (@aboynamedposh) March 29, 2023
Bob Iger today.
Big fucking W pic.twitter.com/iwlFqu5LFy
— DEI SHAWN (@ShawnNOrlando) March 29, 2023
News of DeSantis getting humiliated by Iger comes mere days after Disney announced they were holding a summit on gay rights in Orlando, amidst the governor’s ongoing war on the LGBTQIA+ community. But he may have messed with the wrong people.
(Via Click Orlando and Above the Law)