TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia has filed an amendment to a Senate bill that would void any agreements made by the Walt Disney World company and the former Reedy Creek board and halt land development plans. 

The move comes after the previous board handed governing control over to Disney, essentially leaving the newly appointed board with little power.

“This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure,” board member Ron Peri told Spectrum News digital partner the Orlando Sentinel.

On Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed legislation that would revoke any deal Disney made with the previous board, subject the company to state inspections of all its rides and give the state-run board control over undeveloped land around Disney.

Ingoglia (R-District 11) said discussions over Disney’s power have been going on for years, and he said says Republicans decided something needed to be done after digging deeper into Disney’s oversight.

“The punishment here is a level playing field,” said Ingoglia, whose district includes Citrus, Hernando, Sumter and part of Pasco counties. “Because we know for years Disney has had an unlevel playing field: being able to govern themselves, not having to go through the same regulatory hoops or governmental burdens that another theme park right down the street would have to do.”

The dispute between DeSantis and Disney began after the company took a stand against the controversial Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. Instruction after third grade must be deemed age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate by state standards.

Spectrum News spoke with State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-District 42) when DeSantis announced plans for new legislation, but before the amendment was officially filed.

“The policies that Governor DeSantis is proposing are punitive in nature and targeting one specific corporation for expressing their First Amendment rights,” said Eskamani, whose district includes Orlando. “I find it disingenuous. I find it anti-consumer. And he’s also not closing corporate tax loopholes, which would be the easiest thing to do to hold every corporation accountable.”

SB 1604 is on a Senate committee agenda for Thursday. The DeSantis-appointed board, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, will meet Wednesday.