Florida legislators are looking to suspend the state's decision to dissolve the Walt Disney World theme park of its ability to self-govern its property, Financial Times reports.
The Florida House voted last April to remove the park's tax-exempt status after the company's then-CEO, Bob Chapek, criticized the state's Parental Rights in Education bill.
However, sources told Financial Times that state lawmakers are working to reach a compromise with the company that would reinstate much of the previous arrangement, and these sources noted that this may have something to with Chapek's being replaced by former Disney chief executive Bob Iger.
"It seems like Disney and the legislature have motivation to make a deal. Nobody wants a train wreck," an unnamed source who is involved in politics in the state told Financial Times.
"It's easier to shift policy when you don't have to defend the old policy," Republican state Rep. Randy Fine, who drafted the legislation that dissolved Disney's control over the property, told Financial Times. "Chapek screwed up, but Bob Iger doesn't have to own that screw-up."
Iger recently said at a town hall-style meeting with Disney employees that he's "sorry to see us get dragged into battle" over the property and said he has to "get up to speed" on the situation.
"What I can say [is] the state of Florida has been important to us for a long time and we have been very important to the state of Florida," he added. "That is something I'm extremely mindful of and will articulate if I get the chance."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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