A new development deal between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis might grease the wheels for a fifth new Disney World park in Central Florida, Business Insider reported Sunday.
The DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is expected to vote on the new deal as soon as June 15, which could permit Disney to move forward with a $17 billion development over 10-20 years.
"With Walt Disney World's substantial investments, we anticipate economic growth, job creation, and support for local businesses, alongside environmental stewardship and workforce housing initiatives, benefiting Central Florida's community," District Administrator Stephanie Kopelousos wrote in a statement to BI.
DeSantis' deal would give benefits for using local contractors and require at least 50% of all construction to be done by Florida-based companies, in addition to Disney funding "attainable" housing projects.
A long-rumored fifth Disney park is likely to be among the $17 billion plans, a source told BI.
Disney World has not built a new park in more than 25 years after opening four parks in less than three decades from 1971 (Magic Kingdom), 1982 (Epcot), 1989 (Disney's Hollywood Studios), and 1998 (Animal Kingdom).
"We're already hard at work at basically determining where we're going to place our new investments and what they will be," Disney CEO Bob Iger told an earnings call in February. "You can pretty much conclude that they'll be all over, meaning every single one of our locations will be the beneficiary of increased investment."
DeSantis had battled Disney over its dip into political activism in the state of Florida, rewriting standards between the business and the state. DeSantis was criticized by both the left and right for taking on the large Central Florida employer.
The Walt Disney Co. and Walt Disney World did not respond to a BI request for comment on the potential investment deal.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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