Disney gets special “theme park” exception to Florida’s anti-tech bill

Enlarge / Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Miami on April 08, 2021. (credit: Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Both houses of Florida's Republican-controlled legislature have passed new legislation banning social media companies from deplatforming political candidates or censoring large journalistic organizations. Gov. Ron DeSantis has expressed support for the bill and is expected to sign it into law.

Tech companies could be fined as much as $250,000 per day if they deplatform a statewide political candidate in the state. Critics argue that the bill is likely to be struck down as unconstitutional. That seems especially likely because the bill is broad and vaguely worded.

But at least one company won't have to worry about the legislation: Disney. A last-minute amendment to the bill provides that it doesn't apply to a "company that owns and operates a theme park or entertainment complex"-like Disney World.

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