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Tallahassee is another step closer to stripping The Walt Disney Company of its special autonomy over the Central Florida Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The bill, which will rename the district the Central Florida Tourism Oversight district and replace Disney’s hand-picked Board Members with five people selected by the Governor and approved by the Senate, among other things was passed via supermajority in the House of Representatives on Thursday, February 9, 2023.
According to CNN, “The state House, where Republicans hold a supermajority, passed the measure on an 82-31 vote. The GOP-led state Senate is expected to take up the bill within the next 36 hours. If the measure passes the chamber, it will go to DeSantis for final approval. He is expected to sign it.”
It should be noted, however, that the measure was approved for a full House vote and passed with some bipartisan participation.
Among other things that will change on the massive piece of land twice the size of Manhattan Island and houses the Walt Disney World Resort is the loss of certain privileges that were originally granted in the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967, including the ability to install and enforce toll roads, build an airport, and build and operate a nuclear power plant.
Credit:oppaga.fl.gov
If passed in the Senate and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, the new measures will go into effect immediately, ousting the current board–which includes one person who has held his seat since the 1970s–and replacing them with independent Florida residents who have no connection with the Theme Park Industry.
“There’s a new sheriff in town,” Governor DeSantis said. “And that’s just the way it’s going to be.”
Walt Disney Resort President Jeff Vahle stated that they are monitoring the progress of the new legislation closely. However, it is not clear if the Resort or Disney as a whole will fight the change.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has still remained silent on the matter at the time of this article’s publication.
