New bill change’s Disney’s Reedy Creek name, DeSantis will appoint board members
A bill introduced today by the Florida Legislature will change the name of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District and allow Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint the five members who will shall make up the board of supervisors, according to the 189-page bill.
The name wil be changed from the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The original district was created in 1967 by the state Legislature as Walt Disney was building Walt Disney World.
The new board of supervisors shall consist of five members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. These will be four-year terms, according to the bill. Currently, the board members are elected by the district’s landowners. Since Disney owns almost all of the land in the district, it can handpick the board members.
According to the bill, all members need to be Florida residents. People can not serve on the board if the peson within the past three years has worked for or been a contractor or subcontractor with a business entity that owns or operates a theme park or entertainment complex as defined by Florida Statues. (That definition has a theme park or entertainment complex has a location that is comprised of at least 25 contiguous acres owned and controlled by the same business entity and which contains permanent exhibitions and a variety of recreational activities and has a minimum of 1 million visitors annually.)
In addition, any relative of a person who is ineligible is also ineligible.
The new district will have the same powers as the current district. The new bill wil not negate any deals or obligations already in effect.
According to Jeff Vahle, President, Walt Disney World Resort, “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.”
In addition, on or before July 1, 2026, district must undertake a comprehensive review and evaluation of its comprehensive plan, zoning regulations, land developmont regulations, environmental protection regulations, building and safety codes and regulations, platting and subdivision regulations, and fire prevention regulations and adopt revisions to such as the district determines are necessary for health, safety, and welfare and for consistency with this act.
The entire process dealing with the Reedy Creek District has turned into political theater for DeSantis who has been using it to stoke his base.
After Disney came out against the “Don’t Say Gay” law last year — stating “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.” — DeSantis fought back stating it was time to get rid of the Reedy Creek District in an attempt to get back at Disney.
