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The “battle” between Walt Disney World and the state of Florida is unprecedented, to say the least.
Following then-Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek’s divisive statement against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” Republican politicians from around the country spoke out against the Walt Disney Company, the most prominent figure being Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis blasted The Walt Disney Company for not siding with his bill, making his opinion on Disney very public. Eventually, this “feud” led to Gov. DeSantis leading threats to remove Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District entirely.
The Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967 allows Walt Disney World Resort to pay for and operate its municipal services privately, essentially letting the Resort act of its own volition.
We knew that a session to discuss the dissolution of the district t was going to be held today, Monday, February 6, 2023, but word has just come out that a bill has, in fact been put into place.
The full bill can be read here, but just a heads up, it’s a cool 189 pages, so it may take quite a while to get through.
The bill aims to create a government-controlled version of the already-established Reedy Creek Improvement District. The bill includes the intent to rename the district to “Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.”
“For a transitional period of no longer than 2 years from the effective date of this act, the district may continue doing business using “Reedy Creek Improvement District” as a fictitious name in order to provide sufficient time for the district to make the necessary name change on or to records, contracts, bonds, accounts, physical assets, and wherever else the district’s name is used.”
As stated in the bill, Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District will not be dissolved on June 1, 2023, as previously stated.
This is a developing story, stay tuned here at Inside the Magic for details.