Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is attempting to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District of Walt Disney World. A bill to dissolve Reedy Creek and other special districts passed the Florida Senate today. However, according to a Florida statute, the district cannot be dissolved without the approval of resident voters or landowners in the district.
Twitter user @what0080 shared a screenshot of statute 189.072 with us. It’s available to read in full here.
Section 1 of the statute covers the voluntary dissolution of a special independent district, while section 2 covers other dissolutions. The following is section 2a:
In order for the Legislature to dissolve an active independent special district created and operating pursuant to a special act, the special act dissolving the active independent special district must be approved by a majority of the resident electors of the district or, for districts in which a majority of governing body members are elected by landowners, a majority of the landowners voting in the same manner by which the independent special district’s governing body is elected. If a local general-purpose government passes an ordinance or resolution in support of the dissolution, the local general-purpose government must pay any expenses associated with the referendum required under this paragraph.
As it states, an act by the Florida Legislature dissolving a special district such as Reedy Creek must be approved by the majority of resident electors or landowners in the district. It would be the latter if the majority of governing body members are elected by landowners.
Reedy Creek Improvement District has fewer than 100 residents in two cities: Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake. The residents elect their local officials, while landowners elect the five-member Board of Supervisors.
The bill has yet to pass the House of Representatives, but it seems Reedy Creek and Walt Disney World would be able to push against it using this statute.
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