ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill to dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District on Friday afternoon.

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Central Florida leaders on both sides of the political spectrum responded to the news. See what they had to say below:

Florida agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried

“Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions in politics. This is one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made. Any Member of the Florida House who stayed on the floor in protest of the racist, unconstitutional maps proposed by Ron DeSantis will receive an automatic endorsement from me. These brave members of the legislature will receive funding from my political action committee, as well as any support I can provide, no matter who they run against, no matter the dynamics of their race. I would like to say a special word of thanks to those with the courage to stand on the House floor in protest.”

READ: DeSantis signs bill to dissolve Disney’s self-governing power

Rep. Randy Fine

Rep. Val Demings

“It’s wrong for politicians to play political games with working families’ livelihoods because Disney doesn’t share their hateful agenda. Either Disney pays the hundreds of millions of dollars for police, fire, and other services, or taxpayers do. This reckless legislation could offload billions in debt onto people like my parents, a maid and a janitor, who worked hard every day to put food on the table. It’s wrong for this political foolishness to threaten people’s livelihoods. Hardworking Central Florida families cannot be caught in the middle of these political games.”

READ: Disney’s defense against Reedy Creek dissolution might not be easy

Rep. Anna Eskamani

Orange County tax collector

READ: End of Reedy Creek: Disney won’t pay more taxes, but you will

Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith

State Rep. Michael Grieco

Read: Court battle? Negotiation? What’s next for Reedy Creek

Former Gov. Charlie Christ

National Redistricting Foundation

“Republicans across the country tried - and completely failed - to gerrymander their way to a congressional majority. In response to this defeat, DeSantis has bullied the legislature into enacting a map that does not allow for a fair electoral contest, and instead draws Republicans an illegitimate and illegal partisan advantage that they have not earned from the voters. And it does so at the expense of black voters in Florida who are being denied fair representation in Congress,” said Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States.”

Florida Democratic Chair Manny Diaz

“The Congressional maps that Governor DeSantis signed today are both a racial and partisan gerrymander. Not only do the maps diminish the ability of Black Floridians to elect a candidate of their choice, they are deliberately drawn to benefit the Republican Party and punish voters who disagree with Ron DeSantis. These maps are exactly what the Fair District amendments to the Florida Constitution, which Floridians overwhelmingly passed over ten years ago, were intended to stop. I wholeheartedly support the legal challenges that have been brought and expect the courts to enforce and uphold the Florida Constitution.”

Video: ‘Political retribution’: Demings denounces decision to strip Disney’s self-governing power The Florida legislature voted to abolish Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District just two days after the governor added the decision to this week’s session. (Christopher Heath, WFTV.com)

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