On Monday, April 3, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis formally requested an investigation into Disney’s deal with the Reedy Creek Improvement District in its final days before becoming the state-occupied Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
In a letter to Florida Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel, the Governor pleaded his case, saying, in part,
“These collusive and self-dealing arrangements aim to nullify the recently passed legislation, undercut Florida’s legislative process, and defy the will of Floridians. … Therefore, pursuant to Section 14.32, Florida Statues, I formally request that you, as the Chief Inspector General of the State of Florida, in consultation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, launch a thorough review and investigation into the actions of the RCID Board of Supervisors… Any legal or ethical violations should be referred to the appropriate authorities.”
The full letter is available for reading below:
JUST IN: Gov. Ron DeSantis is now requesting an investigation into Reedy Creek Improvement District and the agreement made with Disney before the state took it over. pic.twitter.com/LE0cY3WnP3
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) April 3, 2023
Related: Win or Lose, Disney’s Money will Pay for DeSantis Board’s Legal Fight
The Governor also states that “The RCID board’s actions appear to suffer from serious legal infirmities, including, among other things, inadequate notice, lack of consideration, improper delegation of authority, and ethical violations, such as conflicts of interest and self-dealing.”
Disney and Reedy Creek: Smart or Seditious?
One of the antagonized elements of the original district was its “puppet state” style government, where the Board of Directors was elected by the landowners of the district, who were essentially completely The Walt Disney Company. The new board, appointed by the sitting governor and approved by the State Senate, is now tasked with making decisions based on what they see is best for The Sunshine State as a whole. Click the link below to read more about this story.
Related: Central Florida Puppets: How Disney Controlled Its Crony Kingdom
We at Disney Fanatic have already shared with our readers that the plans ensure that land development by Walt Disney Imagineering for certain areas of the Central Florida landmass twice the size of Manhattan Island can proceed as planned without needing approval from the Board, and these covenants appear to have been made completely legally. However, we will see what the Governor’s investigation proves.
Speaking at The Walt Disney Company’s Annual Meeting of the Shareholders, CEO Bob Iger finally spoke bluntly on the ongoing trouble between Disney World and Tallahassee. He accused Governor DeSantis of being “Anti-Florida” and punishing a company for exercising its Freedom of Speech while that same company is preparing to invest another $17 billion into the State.
