BREAKING: Bill to CHANGE Disney’s Reedy Creek District Takes Another Step Forward

Disney4me · February 10, 2023

The future of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District has nearly been decided.

reedy-creek-improvement-district-700x389

©WFTV 9

The District’s current structure has given Disney a great amount of control over the land on which it operates for over 50 years. But the District was set to be dissolved in June of 2023 due to a law passed in Florida last year following Disney’s disagreement with Ron DeSantis over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill. A bill has been introduced that would keep Reedy Creek in place but rename the district and significantly change Disney’s level of control. And now, that bill has taken another step forward.

The bill addressing Reedy Creek already passed within the Florida House of Representatives but as of February 10th, it has passed within the Florida Senate as well. It passed with a vote of 26 yeas and 9 nays.

The bill will do a number of critical things including:

rename the district to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
change the Board of Supervisors selection process — instead of being selected by the landowners (Disney is the majority landowner in the District), the board members will be selected by the Governor and confirmed by the senate
strip the District of some powers (like the power it had to potentially create a nuclear power plant)
place certain requirements on the district (mainly reporting requirements)
and make other changes

2022-wdw-disney-springs-reedy-creek-garb

Reedy Creek Trash Cans

The President of Walt Disney World Resort had previously indicated that Disney was watching the progress of the bill carefully. He further noted, “Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world, and regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year.”

2022-wdw-photos-from-nov-2022-reedy-cree

Reedy Creek Fire Department Sign

Keep in mind the bill still needs to be signed by the Florida Governor to become law, and that has not happened yet, but it may only be a matter of time.

The bill specifies that it would take effect as soon as it becomes law. That means as soon as it is signed by the Governor (assuming it will be), it would become effective. Granted there are certain parts of the bill that allow for a transition period, but it could mean BIG changes for Reedy Creek very soon.

A Senate analysis of the Bill notes “The bill provides that the terms of all current members of the district’s board end as of the effective date of the bill, but allows those members to continue to serve until a successor in office is appointed and qualified.” So the Board members could stick around for a bit but likely would be replaced soon.