We Could Get a BIG Update on Disney’s Reedy Creek District Soon

What has long been the key to Disney World’s self-governance in Florida will soon go away, but that isn’t the end of the story.

Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, which has essentially let the company have a large amount of control over the land on which its parks sit, is set to be dissolved in 2023. But a NEW district could take its place. Just what could that new district look like? We might be getting some updates soon.

According to WPTV, a big update regarding the future of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District could be coming soon.

For those who may not be familiar with it, the Reedy Creek Improvement District was a special Florida taxing district that has been in effect since 1967. Having the RCID in place has essentially let Disney function as its own county government for the past 50+ years, giving it the power to make decisions over the adoption of ordinances, the imposition of taxes, pest control, and more for the property it has managed, which includes the property on which Disney World is located.

Following Disney’s statement in opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law (what critics called the “Don’t Say Gay” law), some Florida legislators threatened to repeal the Act that created the RCID. One Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, Spencer Roach, Tweeted “If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County.”

Ultimately, a law was passed in the Florida legislature and signed by the Florida governor dissolving the RCID. Under the law passed, the RCID will officially dissolve in June of 2023.

Since the passage of the law, several individuals, including Florida senators have discussed what will happen once the district is dissolved. According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida will likely take control of the district, but details about that arrangement have not yet been revealed.

A lawsuit was filed in Florida regarding the dissolution of the RCID and the effect it could have on local taxes, and that lawsuit is still pending.

But now we’ve got another update on the Reedy Creek situation. According to WPTV, many have expected that Disney will “hammer out” a new agreement with the state of Florida regarding the district ahead of the RCID’s dissolution on June 1st, 2023. And some critics have noted that “time is of the essence” because the $1 billion in bond debt that the RCID currently holds could be transferred to central Florida taxpayers.

Now, it seems one representative has indicated that conversations about the next steps for Reedy Creek are in fact taking place.

Representative Daniel Perez (R-Miami), who is expected to become the House Speaker for Florida’s House of Representatives in 2024, recently stated, “The one thing that I can tell the audience is that the conversations of Reedy Creek have always been there, and they’re still continuing today.”

Perez expects that more details about what’s next for Disney and its district should be revealed shortly. He noted, “We’ll try to put a bow to that conversation in the near future…As for the timetable on that, it’s still uncertain. But the conversations have continued. There is some progress to be made, but we will definitely, I think, we’ll reach a solution sometime soon.”

WPTV points out that Disney hasn’t commented on what a reworked special district could look like. Florida Governor DeSantis’ office also hasn’t really shared much information. The Governor’s press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said “We don’t have an announcement to make at the moment but stay tuned.”

The clock is ticking and action will likely need to be taken soon. Any new deal or arrangement will need the Florida legislature’s approval and the Governor’s signature to become law. The legislature’s regular 60-day lawmaking session starts in March and it’ll run until May.

We’re continuing to look for updates on this situation and we’ll let you know what we find.

To read more about the updates from the Reedy Creek lawsuit, click here. To learn more about how the district could be re-established, click here.

Stay tuned for the latest news.

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