North Carolina lawmakers are hoping to capitalize on Walt Disney World’s feud with the Florida governor, and have introduced a bill that would fund a study and incentives for luring Disney north.
Senate Bill 594, titled Mickey’s Freedom Restoration Act, was introduced by North Carolina State Sen. Michael Garrett, D-Greensboro, and other Democrats. It would appropriate $750,000 for a commission that would study other amusement parks to determine interest in moving to the Tar Heel State and would develop a plan to recruit parks to the state.
The bill also would have the commission coordinate with state and local governments to develop incentive plans to help an amusement park relocate.
The measure was introduced as the dispute between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney has escalated in recent weeks. The governor retaliated against Disney, one of Florida’s largest employers with an estimated $75 billion impact on the state’s economy, after officials with the entertainment company criticized DeSantis’ famous “Don’t Say Gay” law last year.
The law restricts what public schools can teach to younger students. After Disney’s criticism, the Florida Legislature approved DeSantis’ plan to strip Disney of its special taxing district. Then, the district’s outgoing board passed strict limits on what powers the new, state-run board can have in governing the sprawling Orlando-area Magic Kingdom and district.
DeSantis has vowed to fight the measure and take more punitive measures against the corporation. The North Carolina senators have seen the feud as an opportunity.
“Politicians who put their state’s economy at risk to boost their own selfish political ambitions are a liability,” Garrett said in a tweet and news release.
He noted that North Carolina found a few years ago that other states can take advantage when state lawmakers go too far. North Carolina approved the “bathroom bill” in 2016, requiring public and school restrooms to allow only people of the gender as listed on their birth certificate.
The bill was widely criticized, North Carolina was boycotted by corporations and performers, and the governor who supported the bill lost his reelection bid.
“In North Carolina, we’ve learned this lesson the hard way,” Garrett said in a press release and news reports. “When HB2, the so-called ‘bathroom bill’ passed, other states capitalized on our state’s disgraceful misstep.”
Top photo: Mickey and Minnie welcome cast members and Walt Disney World executives in a ceremony marking the official opening of Tron Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Monday, April 3, 2023. The roller coaster opens to guests on Tuesday. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Topics North Carolina
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