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By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is to travel to a gun store in Georgia on Thursday as part of his national tour to promote his book The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival, which has seen him visit states such as Texas, California, and Iowa.
On Thursday, DeSantis will visit Adventure Outdoors, a gun store, in Smyrna, Georgia, in the latest event in what many are suggesting is a prelude for the governor confirming his 2024 White House bid and starting campaigning for the GOP presidential primary.
Democratic lawmakers are urging DeSantis to cancel his trip to the gun store, days after three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Rep. Nikema Williams, chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Holding a campaign event at a gun store days after another horrific school shooting where innocent children were murdered should be beyond the pale, but Ron DeSantis seems to not care."
DeSantis' appearance in Georgia follows fresh revelations about an ongoing feud in his own state. A five-person board handpicked by DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World in Orlando revealed that an agreement made by its predecessor will essentially allow the company to remain self-governing.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District was brought in by DeSantis in February to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which had allowed Disney to run as its own self-governing authority in Florida for over 50 years.
The move was seen as a retaliation move from DeSantis after Disney objected to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools.
The board found that Disney and Reedy Creek had made an agreement on February 8 that hands control of the district's development rights and special privileges to the company, and severely restricts the board's powers.
The move will be particularly embarrassing for DeSantis, who vowed to make Florida the place where "woke goes to die" following his 2022 reelection. And Disney—the largest on-site employer in the state—is among the biggest targets in the governor's culture war battles.
"I cannot tell you the level of my disappointment in Disney. I thought so much better of them," board member Ron Peri said.
"This essentially makes Disney the government. This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure."
The agreement signed between Disney and Reddy Creek could last several decades as it contains a rare royal lives clause which means it remains valid until "21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants" of King Charles III.
Disney denied that there was anything untoward in the deal which was put in place before DeSantis signed a bill giving the state control of the Reedy Creek district.
"All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida's Government in the Sunshine law," the company said in a statement.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said they will be launching a legal challenge.
DeSantis' Communications Director Taryn Fenske told Newsweek: "The Executive Office of the Governor is aware of Disney's last-ditch efforts to execute contracts just before ratifying the new law that transfers rights and authorities from the former Reedy Creek Improvement District to Disney."
"An initial review suggests these agreements may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law. We are pleased the new Governor-appointed board retained multiple financial and legal firms to conduct audits and investigate Disney's past behavior," the spokeswoman said.
DeSantis is expected to continue his book tour amid continuing attacks from Donald Trump, long seen as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
Polls suggest that DeSantis is struggling to topple Trump as the favorite in a hypothetical GOP primary race, even with the former president facing numerous possible indictments.
A recent Fox News survey found that Trump has doubled his lead over DeSantis from February and is currently at 54 percent to the Florida governor's 24 percent. Last month, Trump was up by 15 points (43 percent from 28 percent).
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