Plans by Florida Republicans to end Disney World's special status may not be legal

Plans by Florida Republicans to end Disney World's special status may not be legal

Transcript¹

A pledge by Florida's governor to end Disney World's status as an independent district may not be easy to carry out. A law may prevent the governor from dissolving the independent district.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The state of Florida exacted retribution on Disney for expressing an opinion. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would end Disney World's status as an independent special district. The area essentially² governs itself. It has ever since 1967, when a state law allowed Disney to provide services and avoid nearly all state regulations. Now that's been revoked³ after the company criticized an unrelated state law. But will the state's plan work? Here's NPR's Greg Allen.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE⁴: For decades, Disney held a special place in Florida's culture and politics. Because of its clout⁵ and popularity with families of every political party, few elected officials questioned why the state gave it the authority to operate its own private government with the ability to tax itself and issue municipal bonds - that is, until last week when Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill passed by the Republican-led legislature to end Disney's special status.

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RON DESANTIS: That was really the first step in what's going to be a process to make sure that Disney should not run its own government.

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ALLEN: DeSantis and Republicans in the legislature were open about why they were taking aim at Disney's private government structure - the Reedy Creek⁶ Improvement District. They're upset over the pledge by the company's CEO to work to overturn the Parental⁷ Rights in Education act, a law critics call "Don't Say Gay." DeSantis said Disney had, quote, "crossed a line." But even before he signed the bill into law, there were lots of questions and few answers about how you dissolve an independent special district with nearly $1 billion in outstanding bonds and whether it's even legally possible to do so. Municipal law expert Jake Schumer says DeSantis's plans run afoul of federal and state contract law and the terms under which the district was created.

JAKE SCHUMER: The state of Florida very clearly promised they would not mess with Reedy Creek. They wouldn't alter their powers. They wouldn't abridge⁸ their powers. They wouldn't interfere⁹ with their ability to basically self-manage.

ALLEN: Most especially, Schumer says, Florida promised not to interfere with Disney's ability to collect taxes and to pay its bondholders. It's a legal conflict, he says, that will have to be resolved in court.

Disney made some of the same points in a statement it posted with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board last week. It's the only comment from the company so far on the measure targeting its special status. Disney said the 1967 law setting up the independent special district ensured the state could not limit its ability to collect taxes and service its debt until all bondholders were paid. Fitch Ratings agency this week warned it may downgrade the bonds because of concerns about political pressure. Among those most alarmed at the recent developments are officials in Orange and Osceola counties, which under the new law would get most of the district's assets - its roads, sewage treatment facility and power plant - and its nearly billion-dollar debt. Jerry Demings is Orange County's mayor.

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JERRY DEMINGS: We are just like everybody else. We're trying to understand what the legislature truly is trying to do in this case. But I believe they have not adequately contemplated¹⁰ the ramifications¹¹ of what they have proposed at this point.

ALLEN: Orange County's tax collector says homeowners may face a rate increase of 20% in order to pay the debt in a state that already has high property taxes. DeSantis dismisses those worries.

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DESANTIS: Under no circumstances will Disney be able to not pay its debts. We will make sure of that. Do not worry about that.

(APPLAUSE)

ALLEN: DeSantis says the bill doesn't take effect until more than a year from now, so there will be plenty of time to work out the details.

Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

3 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

6 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

7 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

8 abridge   

v.删减，删节，节略，缩短

参考例句：

• They are going to abridge that dictionary.他们将要精简那本字典。
• He decided to abridge his stay here after he received a letter from home.他接到家信后决定缩短在这里的逗留时间。

9 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

10 contemplated   

adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。
• The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。

11 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》