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Disney World’s Reedy Creek Has DIED — Here’s What Happens Next

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The battle surrounding Disney’s Reedy Creek District has only just begun.

©Governor Ron DeSantis Website

The Reedy Creek Improvement District (now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — “the District”) previously gave Disney a substantial amount of control over the land it sits on — it worked that way for 50+ years. But now things have changed. In the aftermath of the friction between Disney and Florida Governor Ron Desantis over Disney’s reaction to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill, the Florida legislature and DeSantis signed a bill into law that was going to dissolve RCID in June of 2023. Plans later changed and while the District itself has continued, it now has a new Board appointed by the Governor (not voted in by Disney) and is subject to new rules. But that’s not the end of the story.

[Read more…]

The Man Who ALMOST Replaced Bob Chapek as Disney’s CEO

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This year has been one of BIG change for The Walt Disney Company. Not only did we see a ton of price increases across the board at the parks, but the company’s stock started to drop after the 4th quarter earnings report came out.

Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek ©Disney

Shortly after, the company announced that CEO Bob Chapek would step down and that former CEO Bob Iger would be returning to that role within the company. But someone else almost became Disney’s new CEO.

[Read more…]

“Chapek Screwed Up” Says Florida Lawmaker — What That Means for Disney’s Reedy Creek District

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Disney World has been embroiled in a battle over the Reedy Creek Improvement District with Florida lawmakers since a bill was introduced (and later signed into law) to dissolve the district and its special tax status.

©Spectrum News 13

The decision from lawmakers (including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis) came after Disney spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law — referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” Law by dissidents — and will take effect in June 2023. With Disney’s recent CEO shake-up, though, the future of the Reedy Creek Improvement District may not be so bleak after all. 

[Read more…]

NEWS: Federal Judge Asked to Block Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Law

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Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, (or as critics call it, the “Don’t Say Gay” law) has struck major controversy since its introduction earlier this year.

©Disney

The Walt Disney Company has released statements criticizing the law including a few statements from CEO Bob Chapek himself. This caused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to move forward with the dissolution of Disney’s Reedy Creek ImprovementDistrict — a district that gives Disney governmental power over the land in and around Disney World. House Republicans also condemned Chapek’s response to the law in an open letter and Disney employee walkouts took place following Disney’s response. Now, there’s a new update about the “Don’t Say Gay” law that could lead to the law being blocked.

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UPDATE: What We Know About Disney World’s Reedy Creek Dissolution

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The Walt Disney Company has been at odds with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ever since the company spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights Bill (or what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill) that the governor eventually signed into law.

Cars heading into the Magic Kingdom

Governor DeSantis retaliated against the company by threatening to dissolve Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, which allowed Disney World to act as its own county government. The Governor’s efforts to dissolve the district were successful, and a bill was passed to do so. Now, where do things stand with this situation?

[Read more…]

Gov. DeSantis Says State Government Will Control Disney World’s Reedy Creek District

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The Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have been at odds since Disney opposed Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law (called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by some). In retaliation, DeSantis threatened to dismantle Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District and was ultimately successful in passing a bill that would do so. This district essentially allowed Disney World to function as its own county government.

Disney World Entrance

The dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District (which takes effect in June 2023) happened quickly and has left many questions about the practical issues that will need to be addressed. For example, who will absorb Disney’s nearly $1 billion in bond debt? Now, Gov. DeSantis has given an update on what might happen once Reedy Creek is gone. [Read more…]

Boycotting Disney Isn’t New. But Does It Work?

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Video of a gathering of protesters chanting “Boycott Disney” outside Disney headquarters on April 6 has now been viewed more than 1.1 million times. Thousands more people are sharing posts on social media calling for a boycott. A letter recently published in the Wall Street Journal was signed by grandparents stating they had canceled a trip to Disney World with their grandson, and they are “ashamed to be stockholders.” 

‰©Disney | Walt Disney Corporation Headquarters

The latest movement to boycott Disney comes after the corporation issued a statement saying it would seek to have Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by its critics, repealed by the Florida Legislature or struck down by the courts. 

[Read more…]

Analysts Say Florida Stripping Disney World’s Power Could Cost Residents and Counties

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is following through with threats against Disney World’s self-governing powers. 

DeSantis announced this morning that he would ask Florida lawmakers to eliminate the Reedy Creek Improvement District during a special Legislative session that started today.

©The Florida Channel | Courtesy of WTVT

The announcement escalates the feud between DeSantis and Disney, which until now has largely been a war of words over actions by Disney that DeSantis deems “woke.” The feud began when Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”

[Read more…]

House Republicans Condemn Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s Response to “Don’t Say Gay” Act in Open Letter

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The Walt Disney Company has recently been involved in a political controversy concerning the recently passed Parental Rights in Education Act.

Walt Disney Company Logo ©Disney

Although Disney CEO Bob Chapek initially did not comment on the Act, which is colloquially called the “Don’t Say Gay” Act, the company later issued a statement that the bill shouldn’t have been passed and declared their goal to have it “repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts.” Now, some House Republicans have sent a letter to Chapek, condemning the Walt Disney Company’s response. [Read more…]

Did You Miss the 5 BIGGEST Disney News Stories From This Week? We’ve Got You Covered!

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Are you sitting down? No? Well, you might want to! We’ve got a whole BUNCH of Disney news to catch you up on! 

EPCOT

From exciting restaurant reopening news to EPCOT Food & Wine Festival updates and character meet-and-greet changes — this has been quite the busy week. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive into the biggest Disney news stories from the past few days!

[Read more…]

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