Florida Governor Ron DeSantis moves to nullify Disney's last-minute deal with outgoing Reedy Creek to protect its Walt Disney World interests

Apr 17, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

Forum Forums Tweet Share Tweet Share

Gallery / 3 Photos
Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

Posted: Monday April 17, 2023 1:05pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is continuing his retaliatory action against Disney by announcing today that Florida lawmakers will advance a bill to formally nullify Disney's February agreement with the outgoing Reedy Creek Improvement District that rendered the new DeSantis-appointed board powerless for decades to come.

DeSantis was joined by Wilton Simpson, Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture, at a press event at the Reedy Creek Improvement District HQ just steps away from Disney Springs.

Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

In addition to move towards nullifying the latest agreements created between Disney and Reedy Creek Improvement District, DeSantis said that Walt Disney World will be subject to state-ran ride inspections, including the monorail system. Notably, DeSantis said that he expects this to only apply to Disney due to it being located within a special district, and will not impact Universal Orlando or Sea World.

The large Central Florida theme parks, including Disney and Universal, currently do their own ride inspections, largely because the ride systems are highly specialized, and the state does not have personnel able to carry out the work.

DeSantis also again spoke about imposing higher taxes on Walt Disney World, recovering Reedy Creek debt from Disney more quickly, and even developing a state prison or other amusement park on Reedy Creek land. DeSantis threatened last week to impose tolls on Walt Disney World roads, but seemed to step away from that idea today due to its impact to Florida residents.

The new Central Florida Tourism Oversight board will meet again on Wednesday to discuss its next steps against Disney.

The Florida Governor's dispute with Disney initially began with Disney's public opposition to his Parental Right Bill, and has intensified in recent weeks as Disney appears to have out-smarted the Florida Governor in his attempts to seize effective control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

castlecake2.010 days ago

Yes

Stripes10 days ago

Has Disney/CFTOD continued to replace the purple direction signage with the new blue color scheme since CFTOD took over?

mkt11 days ago

You're right. The new document will be different. It will be "different" in the way that Chris Gaines was "different" from Garth Brooks or how the drummer from Nirvana is "different" from the singer of the Foo Fighters.

Unbanshee11 days ago

Both are effectively picked by the Governor, just not technically. Look no further than the communications "strategy" with the replacement of Gilzean of the Governor's office getting out ahead of every single step of the process

lazyboy97o11 days ago

The settlement acknowledged the “need” to change the comprehensive plan, which undermines this idea. So too does the lack of an agreement, as the 2032 Comprehensive Plan wasn’t that different than the again in force 2020 Comprehensive Plan.

Brian11 days ago

That's understandable for sure. I just felt inclined to make the distinction due to the ongoing conversation, as the district administrator is selected by the board, while the board is selected by the governor.

mkt11 days ago

The new agreement will be functionally the same as the one Disney was sued over.

pdude8111 days ago

You're right. This has been going on so long I just lumped all the antagonists together.

Brian11 days ago

Not to nitpick, but Gilzean was district administrator, not a board member.

pdude8111 days ago

A bigger risk than keeping Garcia and Gilzean on the board as active disruptors? I don't agree with their decision to stall the federal lawsuit, but I understand why they saw the status quo as a risk to growth over the next few years.

lazyboy97o11 days ago

You don’t think dropping your bargaining power in the middle is the best strategy in a negotiation?

flynnibus11 days ago

Again… we know nothing except both sides have shown signs of positive attitude and certainty of successful outcomes. What does that mean? None if us know. All we can speculate is… they know a lot more than they have said publicly… and obvious things like "desantis is not perpetual…" were clearly obvious to them when they made these choices.

UNCgolf11 days ago

That seems wildly optimistic.

flynnibus11 days ago

“Right now…” Yes, we all know this. But again, we don’t know what back room deal they have setup. Who knows… it could even include new legislation promises… Or Disney is just rolling with the hand they are dealt… maybe they have accepted that the time to sunset their advantages of rcid is here… none of us can tell what their true intentions are right now.