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Last week, the state of Florida legislature voted to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, but the specifics of how that will happen by June 2023 are still unclear as well as the ramifications on the counties of Orange and Osceola. What IS the Reedy Creek Improvement District? Many Disney fans have a vague idea about what it is and what it does but there seems to be some confusion about it and why dissolving it might cause chaos. Basically, the creation of RCID allowed the Walt Disney Company to utilize some innovative techniques in building and to exceed the...

Lawyers for Governor Ron DeSantis’ Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board found that Disney’s agreements with the former Reedy Creek Improvement District were null and void as they did not follow state law requirements.The Oversight Board plans to consider a resolution voiding the agreements on April 26. Disney failed to comply with statutory notice requirements, such as notifying affected property owners by mail of the new development agreement and attempting to confer governmental powers to a private business.The new Oversight Board exerted their control by firing the planning and zoning board, appointing themselves in its place, and approving a resolution declaring...

This week, I’ve been writing about Wednesday’s epic meeting of the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD). The board discussed its bold plans for the future of the district as well as the shenanigans Disney masterminded to hold on to its self-governing power after the state dismantled the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID).The state of Florida established the RCID in 1967 to allow Disney to develop innovations for the property that would become Walt Disney World without having to work around government red tape. As I wrote in my book Neon Crosses:“Before Walt died, the legal team discovered a...

Untangling DeSantis-Disney legal dispute could take yearsOrlando SentinelSkyler Swisher3/30/2023If they go to court, Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked oversight board might be in for a multimillion-dollar legal slugfest that could last years.On one side, the Reedy Creek Improvement District is hiring four law firms, including a politically connected conservative Washington, D.C., firm that counts U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton as alumni.On the other, Disney is a nearly $180 billion corporation with a top lawyer who earned about $15.2 million in compensation in 2022, according to a recent financial filing.Legal bills would pile up in a protracted court...

President Donald Trump eviscerated Governor Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., in his ongoing battle against Disney and its Magic Kingdom in Orlando. “Ron DeSanctimonious totally caved in his public relations inspired battle with Disney,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “That’s the only reason he went after them in the first place, to show Mr. Tough Guy. Disney maintained complete exemption from property & sales tax, tax-free bonds, and their incredible fast track permitting.”As reported by RSBN, Gov. DeSantis recently signed legislation in February (HB 9B) that ended Walt Disney World’s self-governing status by terminating the corporate kingdom’s special privileges in...

"There is a new sheriff in town," the governor said during a press conference in Ocala. "That's just the way it's going to be." A bill proposed by Republicans would keep the special taxing district in place, but give it a new name, and create a five-person board whose members would all be appointed by the governor.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House on Monday proposed an overhaul of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, including a new name and giving power to Gov. Ron DeSantis to choose the people in charge as the Republican governor punishes Disney over its opposition to the nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay” law. Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted the Reedy Creek district last year after he clashed with the Walt Disney Co. over the controversial education law that restricts certain classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity. The 189-page bill (HB 9B) was released on the first day of a special legislative session...

Over the last month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has changed the trajectory of money-losing New College of Florida. The plan is already in motion, moving the school away from its meandering journey into left-wing academic experimentation and toward what the governor’s allies have described as a more focused and traditional academic path. But the Governor and Republican lawmakers are about to undertake a much more ambitious plan on Monday: a state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, created in 1967 to give Walt Disney World control over issues such as land use, fire protection and wastewater services over the...

Disney v. DeSantis: What’s next for Reedy Creek district?Orlando SentinelSkyler Swisher10/13/22Walt Disney Co.’s future in Florida is being shaped in secret as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ culture war battle with the entertainment giant fades from the national headlines.One key question has emerged: Who will control a new special district that is expected to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District? Disney uses Reedy Creek to essentially self-govern its theme park properties in Florida.The details will likely be hammered out in the next state legislative session that starts in March. Reedy Creek is set to be abolished on June 1, but state leaders...