After failing to introduce a bill on time for the start of today’s special session, lawmakers have filed a bill House Bill 9B that details how Governor Ron DeSantis and the State of Florida plan on taking control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. We’ll include the full bill at the end of this article, but here are the highlights of the 189-page bill:
- Reedy Creek Improvement District to be renamed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
- Board of Supervisors to consist of five members
- Board of Supervisors members to be picked by Florida Governor and confirmed by Senate
- Board members cannot have worked for a theme park or entertainment complex in the past three years
- Board members must be Florida residents
- RCID can keep name for two years to continue to do business
- Reedy Creek Improvement District will not be dissolved on June 1, 2023 – it will continue under new name and rules
- All debts and obligations of existing RCID continue to be valid and binding
We’ll continue to read through the document and update this article with relevant info throughout the afternoon.
The road to dismantling the Reedy Creek Improvement District is a winding one, but one that started essentially out of retaliation by DeSantis after he and Disney butted heads over the “Don’t Say Gay” law earlier this year. Here’s a timeline of the fallout:
March 2022
- March 7th – Disney CEO Bob Chapek sends out a company-wide email that says that Disney will not denounce the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and that the company will essentially try to stay out of politics.
- March 9th – Disney CEO Bob Chapek attempts to walk back his email, saying that the company has been “opposed to the bill from the outset”.
- March 10th – The Human Rights Organization rejects Disney’s donation
- March 11th – Disney CEO Bob Chapek sends a company-wide email apologizing for lack of action and advocacy on “Don’t Say Gay” bill
- March 22nd – Hundreds of Disney employees participate in a walkout at Disney Headquarters over the company’s initial apathy over “Don’t Say Gay” bill
- March 28th – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs “Don’t Say Gay” into law, Disney responds
- March 30th – Florida lawmakers begin floating the idea of dismantling the Reedy Creek Improvement District in retaliation for Disney’s support of LGBTQIA+ communities
April
- April 20th – Florida Senate passes bill to dismantle the Reedy Creek Improvement District
- April 22nd – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs bill to dismantle Reedy Creek Improvement District
May
- May 2nd – DeSantis is said to want to create his own “Lake Buena Vista District” in place of the Reedy Creek Improvement District
- May 16th – DeSantis says that he’ll make Disney pay an outstanding RCID debt of $1 billion despite no laws requiring Disney to do so
August
- August 23rd – In a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the state, DeSantis’ lawyers argue the RCID dissolution might not happen
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!