-
This logo will be going away. The new bill would give authority to Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint the district’s five-member Board of Supervisors and would change the name to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. LOGO/RCID
News Service of Florida
Florida lawmakers have given final approval to changes that would shift control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District from the Walt Disney Co. to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
With Republican senators saying the changes wouldn’t affect the operations of Disney’s theme parks, the Senate voted 26-9 along party lines Friday to pass the measure, which would give DeSantis authority to appoint the district’s five-member Board of Supervisors.
The Republican-dominated House voted 82-31 to approve the bill (HB 9B), which would give authority to Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint the district’s five-member Board of Supervisors and would change the name to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The proposal would remove parts of the district’s authority, such as the power to potentially construct a nuclear power plant, airport and stadium.
The bill now will go to DeSantis for his expected signature.
The state created the Reedy Creek district in 1967 and essentially gave Disney control over issues such as land use, fire protection and sewer services that are typically handled by local governments.
But at DeSantis’ urging, lawmakers last year decided to dissolve Reedy Creek and five other special districts across the state after Disney angered the governor by opposing a controversial education law. The dissolutions, however, had an effective date of June 1, 2023, which left time for lawmakers to reestablish and revamp the districts.
The vote Friday came at the end of a five-day special legislative session.
Republicans also called the latest changes a “fair balance,” imposing accountability and rules as the state rapidly grows.
But Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando, called the bill a “power grab” by the governor, as the Senate Rules Committee earlier Friday signed off on the bill.“ This bill is just wanting to show other private companies, ‘If you say something wrong, that I (the governor) don’t like, I’m going to go after you,’” Torres said.
Rep. Fred Hawkins (RSt. Cloud), who sponsored the House Bill, said, prior to the special session, that no citizen or taxpayer in Osceola or Orange County, where Disney is located, will have to pay any of the debt Disney has built up due to operations of things like utilities, first responder service and the like.
“It puts all businesses on an equal playing field,” Hawkins said. “Disney has been playing with an unfair advantage since 1967.”
The revamped district would continue to have wide-ranging authority, including the ability to levy property taxes and fees, issue bonds and provide services such as water and sewer systems, roads and parking facilities.
Board members appointed by DeSantis would be subject to Senate confirmation. Appointees could not be employees, owners or operators of theme parks.
Senate Republicans on Friday rejected a Democratic proposal to require local representation on the board. A similar proposal also failed Thursday in the House.
