Could Disney World Really Go Nuclear? Old Law Says Yes!

The recent fight between Bob Chapek and The Walt Disney Company and Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s State Government has brought an interesting fact about Walt Disney World’s Central Florida Property back into the public eye: The Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Earning Walt Disney World Resort the nickname “The Theme Park Vatican City,” the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was established by the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967 as a way for Disney to work with special privileges of self-governance. Using skeleton populations for the “cities” Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, RCID has its own district representatives and its own localized government, which allows Disney to maintain its seclusion from the outside world and avoid much of the political red tape and taxes that competitors like Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando remain subject to.

Read More: ‘Woke’ Fight Could Cost Disney its Legislative Bubble in Florida

Disney’s decision to bite the hand that fed them over a new law that prevents schools from teaching sex and gender theory has led several Florida lawmakers to begin considering a repeal of the law that created that almost 60-year-old legislative bubble.

Now, the internet is filled with conspiracy theories about what goes on in the darker corners of Walt Disney World, but one story that is NOT a conspiracy is that Disney has the legal authority to put a nuclear power plant on its property.

The Reedy Creek District Charter states:

“All of the powers and duties of the District shall be exercised by and through the Board of Supervisors. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Board shall have the power and authority…

To own, acquire, construct, reconstruct, equip, operate, maintain, extend and improve electric power plants, transmission lines and related facilities, gas mains and facilities of any nature for the production or distribution of natural gas, telephone lines, plants and systems and other communications systems of any nature, transmission lines and related facilities and plants and facilities for the generation and transmission of power through nuclear fission and other new and experimental sources of power and energy; to purchase electric power, natural gas and other sources of power for distribution within the District; and to develop and operate such new and experimental public utilities, including but not limited to centrally distributed heating and air conditioning facilities and services, closed-circuit television systems, and computer service and facilities, as the Board of Supervisors may from time to time determine.”

And it further states:

“…the District shall have the power and authority to examine into, develop and utilize new concepts, designs and ideas, and to own, acquire, construct, reconstruct, equip, operate, maintain, extend and improve such experimental public facilities and services, including by way of example and not of limitation facilities for the generation of power by nuclear fission, and otherwise to undertake, sponsor, finance and maintain such research activities, experimentation and development as the Board may from time to time determine.”

Remember that Walt Disney was not buying enough Florida land to cover Manhattan Island twice for just a chain of Theme Parks. He wanted to build his dream for EPCOT: An Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Part of that dream included a state-of-the-art city and an industrial park. Would not such a futuristic project include clean nuclear energy?

In 2019, Forbes pointed out that such an idea was possible for Disney World with NuScale Power’s small modular nuclear reactor (SMR). Only two facilities would be needed to operate the entirety of the property.

According to the article,

“An SMR is the kind of thing Walt Disney himself envisioned for our future. Compact, can’t melt down, doesn’t even need to shut down to refuel, can operate for many decades, no emissions, can ramp up and down quickly to load-follow their solar and future wind farms, and is cheaper than anything except gas – there is nothing better that represents the future of power in America.”

However, no such plans have been put into motion, and it appears that Disney continues to favor building self-sustainability through solar energy–while continuing to consume fossil fuels–and utilizing liquified natural gas for ground transportation.

Only time will tell, though, if such a transition will come to pass at Walt Disney World and if the men and women in Tallahassee will let Disney keep its magic kingdom. 

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to monitor Disney World’s situation and share more information with our readers as it comes to light.