DeSantis Just Took Disney’s Special District Away, So Why Is Universal Getting One?

Whew. Y’all, the past few days have just been a WHIRLWIND of theme park news.

So many changes are taking place in 2024 at Disney World, construction continues over at Universal Orlando as Epic Universe is created, Disney subpoenaed Governor Ron DeSantis’s office for internal communication records as the ongoing battle between the two rages on, and on October 10th, Universal was approved for a special taxing district of its own.

On October 10th, Orange County approved Universal’s application for its very own special taxing district that would connect the theme park to the greater Orlando area — including Orlando International Airport. The Shingle Creek Transit & Utility Community Development District is officially underway!

The new district will be formed on 719 acres and will include the upcoming Epic Universe. 13 of these acres will be dedicated to a train station that will be tied to both the Brightline and Sunrail trains.

While this new district will probably increase traffic to Universal due to an increase in accessibility, it does bring up the question — why is Universal getting a new district when Disney’s was just taken away?

Disney has been battling Gov. DeSantis for control of its own special taxing district, the former Reedy Creek Improvement District that was recently re-dubbed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. DeSantis and his appointed board have changed a LOT of details regarding how the district functions, even affecting employee benefits that pertain to the Disney Parks. Further, Disney must now comply with random inspections from a third-party company, which could affect operations for transportation and even rides.

Disney World monorail

So, we can’t help but wonder just how involved the state will become with Shingle Creek. Universal is still able to perform its own inspections and oversee itself, but will that change soon, too? Will Universal be placed under the same set of strict rules that DeSantis has placed Disney under? If Disney was stripped of its rights to a self-governing district, why is Universal getting one? Formerly, Disney’s district board was made up of Disney employees, before DeSantis took over and appointed his own board members. Currently, Universal’s board is set to be made up of Universal employees.

The DeSantis and Disney feud began with Disney’s public opposition to a law that DeSantis signed back in 2022, which prohibited teachers from mentioning sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

It will be interesting to see if DeSantis has more of a say with Universal and its new district now that their property is expanding and influencing the greater Orlando area.

We’ll make sure to keep you all updated with more theme park news, so make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing and are always in the loop.

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What do you think about the Universal taxing district? Let us know in the comments.

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