Bill to drastically change Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District passes in the Florida Senate

Feb 10, 2023 in "The Walt Disney Company"

Posted: Friday February 10, 2023 1:45pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The bill to overhaul Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District is continuing to pass through the Florida State legislator, with the Senate approving the bill in a session today.

As expected, the bill passed easily 26-9, and will now move to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis to be signed.

The bill moves to replace the governing body's board with five members appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In addition, the Reedy Creek Improvement District would be renamed "Central Florida Tourism Oversight District."

The creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 1967 allowed Disney the luxury of establishing its own independent government that handles many aspects of the Walt Disney World property, including emergency services, infrastructure, and construction permitting.

Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle commented last week on the move, saying "We are monitoring the progression of the draft legislation, which is complex given the long history of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world, and regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year."

The action by DeSantis comes in retaliation to Disney's public opposition to the parental rights law, which took place under the ex-CEO Bob Chapek.

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castlecake2.06 days ago

Yes

Stripes6 days ago

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

mkt6 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.

Unbanshee6 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

lazyboy97o6 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.

Brian6 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.

mkt6 days ago

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

pdude816 days ago

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

Brian6 days ago

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

pdude816 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.

lazyboy97o7 days ago

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

flynnibus7 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.

UNCgolf7 days ago

That seems wildly optimistic.

flynnibus7 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.