Isn’t this Government takeover? Why is DeSantis doing this?
Normally we would disagree with something like this.
No, the government is not taking over. The government is ending a sweetheart deal that Fagney operated under for decades and never should have received.
Disney was basically its own Government with special considerations and exemptions. DeSantis was ending that sweetheart deal.
In essence, the District was given wide zoning powers and the power to issue bonds in order to build roads and utilities and provide government services from planning and permitting to infrastructure and fire service. With a board composed of Disney employees, retirees, and Disney allies, the District was a captive of Disney and loyal to its interests. Not only did the District facilitate Disney's development, but it also discriminated against other property owners in the area so as to make them subservient to Disney.
By statute, the new board is little different in what it can do but is composed of DeSantis appointees instead of being a captive of Disney. If permitted to function normally, that would endanger Disney's iron grip over both its own property and that of nearby property owners. So, in its closing days, the Disney controlled board executed an agreement with Disney giving away its governmental powers to Disney.
That would be as if on the way out of office, Donald Trump had executed an agreement conferring the powers of the presidency on himself as former President and making Biden a figurehead. Trump could not do that and neither can Disney do the equivalent.
Local governments in Florida are subject to state law... this is the Governor & Legislature using their power to reign in a private entity with government authority under special privileges not afforded to their competitors.