The Florida Legislature will receive a bill with a plan to dissolve Disney’s jurisdiction, Reedy Creek Improvement District, and absorb it into the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis put the plan into motion when he “signed a measure into law dissolving” after Disney lied about the Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill does not say “Don’t say gay” in it.
The notice was posted on the website of Osceola County, which houses part of Disney World along with Orange County. Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing the effort, according to sources in his office, and the intended legislation will mandate that members of the board will be appointed by the governor, according to sources in the governor’s office.”The corporate kingdom has come to an end,” DeSantis’ communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News. “Under the proposed legislation, Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes.””Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents,” she added.The planned legislation will also ensure that the company will pay upwards of $700 million dollars in unsecured debt accumulated by Disney’s special jurisdiction — known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District — and not Orange County taxpayers, according to the sources.
Good. The taxpayers shouldn’t be punished with more taxes or pay Disney’s debt.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was formed in 1967. Walt Disney pushed for the formation because he did not like businesses and other places popping up near his dynasty. It encompasses the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, along with unincorporated land. Landowners elect the Board of Supervisors who govern the district. The five members are senior Disney employees.
Disney employees and their immediate families reside in the cities, so the district’s population is small. But the district includes “4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 1 sports complex, 175 lane miles of roadway, 67 miles of waterway, the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, an environmental science laboratory where the continuity of water quality is monitored, an electric power-generating & distribution facility, a natural gas distribution system, water and wastewater collection & treatment facilities, a solid waste and recyclables collection & transfer system, plus over 40,000 hotel rooms and 100’s of restaurants and retail stores.”
The website provides details on how they govern the district. But right now, the district is exempt “from a host of regulations and certain taxes and fees related to emergency services and road maintenance.”
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