A newly-proposed piece of legislation aimed at relocating the Walt Disney World Resort was introduced on Wednesday, and should it pass, the Most Magical Place on Earth could be uprooted and relocated to a location nearly 550 miles away.
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It sounds unbelievable. It sounds laughable. It sounds like an April Fools' joke that hasn't let up-legislation that would ultimately lead to the entire Walt Disney World Resort being relocated to an area more than 500 miles away. But then again, the same can be said for the ongoing Disney vs. DeSantis feud that began in March 2022 and has only escalated since then-a feud to which the newly-proposed legislation was created to respond.
On Wednesday, State Senator Michael Garrett filed a bill called "Mickey's Freedom Restoration Act." The bill seeks $750,000 for the creation of a committee that would determine how best to attract The Walt Disney Company and its Central Florida theme park resort to the state of North Carolina.
The "Mickey's Freedom Restoration Act" bill is sponsored by three leaders of the North Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus: Sen. Michael Garrett, Deputy Democratic Caucus Leader, Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, Senate Democratic Whip, and Sen. Sydney Batch, Deputy Democratic Caucus Leader. Each leader believes that the Tar Heel State can offer Disney an environment that is both stable and conducive to prosperity, allowing the House of Mouse to make a long-term investment in the state's future.
A political and business venture "win-win," if you will.
In April 2022, similar sentiments were expressed by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who tweeted an offer of asylum to Mickey and Minnie in the early weeks of the Disney vs. DeSantis war, extending an invitation for Disney to pack its bags and head to the Centennial State. Only days later, a judge in South Texas extended a warm and welcoming "howdy, y'all" to The Walt Disney Company, inviting the company to pack up, head west, and plant Disney roots deep in the heart of Texas.
Credit: DisneyDining
"We have large, large tracts of land available on the south side of the county," said Fort Bend County, Texas Judge K. P. George. "And when there is a conversation about a thing like this happening, we will find that location somewhere. I don't have a specific location because that conversation has to happen."
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"Politicians who put their state's economy at risk to boost their own selfish political ambitions are a liability," North Carolina Senator Garrett said in an apparent criticism of Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis. Garrett further said he would "welcome The Walt Disney Company and all other businesses seeking refuge from the culture war madness currently gripping the great state of Florida."
The Disney vs. DeSantis war in Florida began in early 2022 when The Walt Disney Company called out the Florida legislature for passing a law that prohibited educators with Kindergarten through third-grade classes from using instruction time to discuss gender identity, sexual identity, and the like. Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with a different piece of legislation aimed at revoking Disney's special tax district, the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Credit: MSNBC
The feud has only escalated since that time with the latest developments involving Gov. DeSantis announcing the possibility of building a prison near the Walt Disney World Resort and the newly-formed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's board taking the first steps to reshape Disney's self-governing district.