Things are heating up in the battle between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
©Governor Ron DeSantis Website
A DeSantis-appointed board of supervisors for Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (now renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) discovered agreements Disney entered into with the prior board that gave Disney a great amount of power over certain things moving forward (despite what the new board may say or do). DeSantis and the new Board have criticized those agreements, while Disney has defended them as being legal and properly noticed. Now, DeSantis has outlined his plan of attack against Disney, which includes a bill to nullify those agreements between Disney and the old board, but that’s not all.
During an April 17th, 2023 press conference, DeSantis laid out his plan of attack against Disney and the agreements they entered into with the old Reedy Creek board of supervisors. Those actions include a bill to be introduced in the Florida legislature that would utilize a Florida statute to strike down Disney’s agreements and an expectation that the new Board of Supervisors will find that there are legal issues with the Disney agreements and declare them invalid during their upcoming meeting.
Reedy Creek
But it goes beyond just striking down those agreements. DeSantis seems to be looking to (and expecting the new board to) make other changes within the District — from changing COVID-19 rules to regulations on property appraisals. And one thing DeSantis mentioned specifically was the development of some land the District owns.
Obtained via ClickOrlando Livestream
Disney owns a lot of the land in the District, but the District does own some other land next to the land owned by Disney. DeSantis noted that he “wasn’t even thinking about that land” when the initial bill to change things about the District was introduced. He said, “We just wanted them to live under the same rules, pay the debt, pay the taxes.” But now that they’re in this position, DeSantis said people have been wondering “‘what should we do with this land?'”
Obtained via ClickOrlando Livestream
According to DeSantis, people have suggested a number of potential developments. He shared, “People have said…maybe create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks…maybe you need another state prison. Who knows?”
He continued, “The possibilities are endless, and so that is now gonna be analyzed to see what would make the most sense.”
Reedy Creek
As Business Insider points out, some of these developments (particularly when it comes to the idea of building a state prison in the area) could “affect home values on nearby properties.”
Beyond utilizing the land owned by the District, DeSantis discussed changing certain inspection rules when it comes to accidents that take place on Disney World rides, accelerating the debt payment within the District, potentially selling utilities to a private entity, and more.
You can read the full breakdown of DeSantis’ plans here
The new Board of Supervisors for the District meets next on April 19th, at which point they are expected to discuss a number of issues. We’ll be watching for updates and letting you know what we find.
For more on the DeSantis vs. Disney debacle, click here to see Iger’s latest comments on the matter. And get some more background on the agreements Disney made with the old board by watching the video below.
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Maybe desatan and that is what we think of him will b a barker at a state fair playing the old shell game
Don’t hold your breath to read Mr. DeSantis’s plans. He rarely has a well thought out one when it involves someone questioning his actions. Many Floridians are still trying to figure out if our taxes are paying for all of his “non-campaign, campaign trips over the last year. When contacting his office to ask this question one gets no answer. I believe it used to be called the sound of crickets.