food IS a theme park
Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have been battling over Orlando’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) for the better part of a year, and it seems as though the battle may be over — at least for now.
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After much anticipation, we finally have an update on the status of the bill that could change Disney’s special district from here on out.
Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (“RCID”) has essentially died (in some ways) thanks to a bill passed by the Florida legislature. But Disney’s not going down without a fight, right? Well…it’s not that simple.
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For over 50 years, the established RCID structure has given Disney a lot of power over the land on which it operates in Orlando, Florida. As the majority landowner, Disney has been able to select people “friendly” to the Company to serve on the Board of Supervisors that makes critical decisions related to the land that is home to Disney World’s theme parks. Key parts of that structure will be changing soon, and Disney might just “let it happen.” Here’s why.
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.
The future of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District has nearly been decided.
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The District’s current structure has given Disney a great amount of control over the land on which it operates for over 50 years. But the District was set to be dissolved in June of 2023 due to a law passed in Florida last year following Disney’s disagreement with Ron DeSantis over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill. A bill has been introduced that would keep Reedy Creek in place but rename the district and significantly change Disney’s level of control. And now, that bill has taken another step forward.
We’ve got a huge update on the situation with Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (“RCID”).
©Spectrum News 13
By way of a very quick background, the RCID was created over 50 years ago and essentially functions as its own county government in Orlando, Florida. For years, it has given Disney (the majority landowner in the District) a huge amount of power over the land on which it operates, allowing Disney to select the Board of Supervisors that make critical decisions over the District’s land. Following Disney’s criticism of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill, a bill was passed that will dissolve the RCID in June of 2023 (in what many saw as an act of retaliation). But it seems things with the RCID could soon change in a critical way.
The future of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District still hangs in the air after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis filed a bill that would change how the self-governing district operates.
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We shared Disney’s response to the new legislation, but now it appears other Florida lawmakers have spoken out to criticize the bill as well — in the form of proposed amendments. Here’s what we know.
The situation with Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District is really starting to heat up.
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The District was previously set to be dissolved on June 1st, but a special session of the Florida legislature that began on February 6th will address the District’s future. On February 6th, a bill was filed that gives a much clearer picture as to what the revised District could look like, and now Disney has finally spoken out on the issue.
Over the past several months, we’ve been following the back-and-forth between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney.
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After Disney spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill (dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its opponents), DeSantis responded by asking lawmakers to take away Disney World’s special taxing district — the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Now we’re learning more about the proposal that would establish a new method of governing Disney World property.
Got a second? Okay, good — we’ve got a LOT of Disney updates to tell you about!
Magic Kingdom
Critical information has been shared about the TRON Lightcycle / Run ride coming to Magic Kingdom, a Disney World hotel restaurant is going to be CLOSING and totally CHANGING soon, and we’ve got other food news and updates related to the Disney Company as a whole. So what are you waiting for?! Let’s dive into this week’s BIGGEST Disney news!
Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (“RCID”) is just a few months away from being officially dissolved and some BIG changes could be on the way.
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The RCID, which essentially functions as its own county government, has given Disney a lot of control over the land on which it operates in Orlando. But, following Disney’s statements against the Florida Parental Rights in Education bill, the Florida legislature passed a law that will dissolve the RCID in June of 2023. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has insisted that a state-controlled board will take over and Disney will NOT be allowed to control its own government, but not all of Disney’s self-governance might end in Florida.
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