If you thought the Reedy Creek Improvement District (now Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) battles were limited to legal issues over the agreements Disney entered into with the prior board of supervisors, you’d be wrong. The battle is reaching beyond that now.
Disney World Monorail
Previously, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had indicated that he wanted to change some things about Disney World and how safety inspections are done, specifically getting the government more involved when it comes to inspection regulations. We saw the new Board of Supervisors hear some arguments about inspections and Disney World pools recently as well. DeSantis had specifically pointed out the monorail as something he wanted the state to be able to inspect, and now we’re seeing DeSantis’ plan come together.
During a previous press conference, DeSantis discussed the Disney World monorail and how it is not subject to state safety inspections. He said, “This monorail is exempt. They exempted the Monorail from any safety standards or inspections…so they’re gonna go and make sure that the monorail is subject to oversight just like everything else would be in the state of Florida.”
DeSantis had indicated that the legislature would be working on a legislative amendment to change this inspection situation, and now that amendment has been filed.
Monorail
The language is part of an amendment filed to Senate Bill 1250, which is described as a “GENERAL BILL by Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development.”
The amendment would require the addition of some language to the Florida statutes under a section about transit safety standards, inspections, and system safety reviews. The statute already requires the Department of Transportation to adopt minimum safety standards for government-owned fixed-guideway transportation systems and privately owned/operated fixed-guideway transportation systems that are financed wholly or partly by state funds.
Monorail
But with this amendment, the Department would also have to adopt minimum safety standards for another VERY specific form of transportation: “any governmentally or privately owned fixed-guideway transportation systems operating in this state which are located within an independent special district created by local act which have boundaries within two contiguous counties.”
It’s not clear how many other independent special districts in Florida have boundaries within 2 contiguous counties and have a fixed-guideway transportation system, but it appears the language would apply to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and presumably the monorail within it since that District is an independent special district that crosses 2 contiguous counties and the monorail is a privately owned fixed-guideway transportation system within that District. (Some have also questioned whether this language would mean inspections would also apply to the Skyliner.)
Monorail
The amendment would also require the Department to conduct structural safety inspections for fixed-guideway transportation systems that are raised or have bridges. The amendment specifies, “Inspectors must follow departmental safety protocols during safety inspections, including requiring the suspension of system service to ensure safety and welfare of inspectors and the traveling public during such inspections.”
Unless such safety inspections are done in the middle of the night or early in the morning, entirely suspending the monorail so that the Department can come and inspect it (pursuant to this amendment) could cause headaches for Disney and Disney guests as they try to make their way around the parks.
EPCOT Monorail
The Amendment was filed on April 24th, 2023 (and tackles other things as well). The bill to which it was filed is on the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee agenda for April 25th at 10AM.
As The Orlando Sentinel points out, this particular amendment doesn’t address some other inspection issues DeSantis had raised — like having the state take over safety inspections for Disney’s other rides. So there could be more things to come there. The Sentinel also points out that the Disney World monorail hasn’t been without its fair share of complications — from a mechanical failure that left guests stranded, to a monorail car crash with the car towing it.
Monorail
What’s interesting to note, however, is that this amendment seems to narrowly apply to these types of transportation systems that are located within a special district. Disney World is the only major Central Florida theme park that is located in a special district.
Even if legislators were to introduce other amendments or bills tackling theme park ride inspections, etc. if those are all limited to theme parks within special districts (as DeSantis had indicated such restrictions would be), it would mean that other spots like SeaWorld and Universal Orlando would continue to remain exempt from state inspection regulations, while Disney World would not.
Monorail
We’ll keep an eye out for more updates about the bill to which this monorail-related amendment has been filed and let you know what we find.
To read the latest updates from the new board of the District, click here. And stay tuned for more news.
See how Disney has subtly responded to the Reedy Creek drama
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Disney should start working on plans to withdraw from Florida over the next 15 to 25 years (to recoup investment). Moving to southern North Carolina near I95 might be good.
–Florida voter and Disney stockholder
DeSantis is a petty, petty man. Most normal people would have let this go months ago, especially the governor of a state that has its own set of problems, one of which is climate change, which seems to be wreaking havoc on many Florida areas.
Florida residents should be PO’d at this guy, as they’re the ones footing the bill for the Disney fiasco. I don’t know how the man got re-elected.
Every time a RCID-related blog entry is posted, out come all the DeSantis-hating commenters. It’s getting old.
This would also impact the Brightline train since it crosses multiple counties in Florida, starting in Miami and possibly going all the way to Tampa with stops along the way.
DeSantis is a vindictive man. He has no FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, SYMPATHY OR EMPATHY. Citizens of Florida, do you respect this type of person. Now he wants the state to inspect the Disney Monorail and Sky Liner, causing delays to millions of Disney guests. Your taxes WILL RISE to pay for vindictive lawsuits against Disney. Would Florida be better off if Disney never existed. What would your taxes be if Disney World never existed. Would you be living in Florida today if Disney World never existed? Wanna B Dictator DeSantis will be gone in a few years and citizens of Florida will still be there cleaning up the mess that he causes.
I thought this man had presidential plans!?! Disney is a much loved company with supporters all over the world. As a resident of a west coast state, I may not understand all the issues, but I feel like he is shooting himself in the foot. I have a hard time considering him for president with this childish game he is playing. Disney has been good for florida! Ugh
DeSantis needs to be impeached as the governor of Fla.
DeSantis is a turd. A petty, small little man. Disney has more money than god- they should keep him in court the rest of his life and drain his finances.
DeSantis is in too deep to get out of this. He is in for a resident revolt of untold magnitude if he does not leave well enough alone. Face it, as a Florida resident or even a guest, the file of thumb apples to both. Know it…everything the government touches costs you more. It is true as it scary. Leave Disney alone, cut back some of the incentives the state may offer, but they have done a pretty good job of managing a central Florida swampland.
If safety at theme parks is a real problem, then all FL theme parks should be subject to the same inspection requirements. Having to “craft” laws that specifically target just 1 theme park, seems to be vey political.
This entire Reedy Creek issue seems to be the Governor saying “If it ain’t broken, Ill break it”.
I also think that the special district arrangement has been good for Disney and Floridians. They took a swamp and made it into Disneyworld without local tax money! And they construct/operate all of their infrastructure at or better than standards required by FL law.
DeSatan is not a complicated man, he’s transparent af. You just know he will pick the busiest time in Disney World to suddenly find “something wrong” with the Monorail, and that’s around July. What the MORON doesn’t seem to get is that in an effort to get at Disney, he’s ruining EVERYONE’S REALLY EXPENSIVE Disney trip, MOST ESPECIALLY those coming from outside of Florida. Does he think people are gonna forget how he ruined people’s vacations in 2024 when the idiot tries to run for President? I HOPE that’s his downfall; The American people that he screwed, over a schoolyard feud and that Disney ultimately caused him the Presidency. What sweet sweet, poetic justice that will be and no one truly deserves it, and other terrible things, than DeSatan.
OH! And I hope he gets sued by every single person whose trip he will ruin in some class-action suit that’ll take him to the cleaners and leave him penniless for the rest of his days. He needs to learn a very very very very HARD lesson for all of the atrocities he created. I also wish the absolute worst for ALL of his constituents for being happily complicit.
Juan, thank you for your thoughts. I agree with you COMPLETELY. Ron