NEWS: Disney Responds to Proposed Reedy Creek CHANGES

Disney has been embroiled in a battle over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, and it all came to a head in the form of new legislation filed in Florida today.

©Reedy Creek

The new bill seeks to rename the district, provide for the continuation of some powers (like revenue collection), revise the selection of the Board of Supervisors, and more. The future of Reedy Creek remains unclear, but now, Disney has responded to the new legislation.

A special legislative session met on Monday to discuss the future of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), which was created over 50 years ago, and for all of that time, it has given Disney World a great amount of control and power over the land on which it operates in Orlando.

Reedy Creek Fire Marshal Sign in Disney World

But, that could all be changing soon thanks to a new bill that was filed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The bill, HB 9B — Reedy Creek Improvement District, Orange and Osceola Counties, includes several changes, including a Governor-appointed Board, a renamed district, Board restrictions, and more.

©Orlando Business Journal

Now, it looks like Disney has responded. President of Walt Disney World Resort, Jeff Vahle, shared a statement that reads:

“We are monitoring the progression of the draft legislation, which is complex given the long history of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world, and regardless of the outcome, remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year.”

 

While Disney hasn’t introduced any sort of plan or made any comment regarding what they intend to do about the new legislation, it’s clear from Vahle’s statement that there will be more to come.

Reedy Creek Fire Department

At this point, the bill has only been introduced in the Florida legislature, and a lot can happen before it may or may not be voted into law. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates regarding Reedy Creek and the new bill.

Reedy Creek trash cans in Disney Springs

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Read Our Breakdown of the Reedy Creek Bill Here

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6 Replies to “NEWS: Disney Responds to Proposed Reedy Creek CHANGES”

  1. This is all for the governor to save face. Everything stays the same and I bet they also have pretty much control over the area. yes the governor is going to appoint people but I could guarantee that Disney will have lots of sway in the area!

  2. I’m not a fan of Disney’s involvement in politics, but I certainly would hate to see Reedy Creek fundamentally changed. Disney has been a good steward of its property; and I hope the company can retain their functioning freedoms.

  3. it just seems like a get even tactic by the governor of florida against disney, because someone exercised their freedom of speech. i still believe that when it is all said and done the cost will be passed on down to the millions of visitors and residents of florida in some way shape or form

      1. @Lewis, Although your statement is correct, should anybody or any company be afraid to make a statement regarding their position on human rights? The whole premise of “Freedom of Speech” is to protect one from retaliation from speaking out against the government. Exactly what Chapek did in this case. As much as I loath Chapek’s tenure at WDW, the fact still is, he didn’t threaten the Florida gov’t with any actions if they didn’t change the DSG bill. He simply made a statement supporting LGBT rights (Mostly to appease the irritated LGBT Disney employees). DeSantis’ retaliation is a very poor example of what a good leader should be in a Democracy. His style of governing is much better suited for North Korea or China. I’m a bit amazed that Disney hasn’t filed suit for protection under the Freedom of Speech articles, but maybe Disney knows this will be a good thing for them in the end.

    1. This is 100% accurate. In fact, I love what one of the representatives proposed as an amendment, because in acronym form it spelled out the word FASCIST. She knew it wouldn’t have the votes to make it through, so she used the opportunity to make a statement instead. Nice sneaky jab there.