Threats to Disney World’s ability to govern its own property in Florida (thanks to a special independent district it has operated under for years) are now becoming very real.

Earlier this year, we shared how one Florida representative had mentioned the idea of repealing the act that formed the Reedy Creek Improvement District — a district that essentially allows Disney World to act as its own county with relation to the land on which it operates in Orlando, Florida. The Florida Governor then expanded a session session of the legislature to allow for this action to be considered. And now we’ve got some huge updates.

According to The Orlando Sentinel, the Florida Senate “quickly voted” on Wednesday (April 20th) to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID). Again, this is the special district that affords Disney a great amount of control over its land in Florida and essentially lets it operate as its own county.

Click here to learn more about Reedy Creek, how it functions, and why its dissolution could mean “disaster” for Disney

The Sentinel notes that lawmakers had originally come to Tallahassee for a special session regarding a “congressional map drawn by DeSantis’ office.” But, less than 1 hour before the special session started is when Governor DeSantis expanded the session to be able to include consideration on a bill that would repeal the RCID.

The Orlando Sentinel also says that DeSantis has expanded the session to include consideration on “another bill retracting a special carveout that protected Disney from liability in the so-called Big Tech law from 2021.”

On the Reedy Creek bill, the Senate voted 23-16 to dissolve the RCID (with one Republican senator voting against the bill). The Senate also voted 24-15 (along party lines) to approve the bill that would retract the “Disney carveout, which was found unconstitutional by a federal judge.” (The Orlando Sentinel)

Critics of Florida Governor DeSantis have said that these bills are “meant to punish Disney, Florida’s largest single-site employer, for opposing the so-called ‘don’t say gay’ law signed by DeSantis last month.” (The Orlando Sentinel)

The Sentinel also says, “The bills were filed almost as soon as he called for the expanded session, raising questions about who wrote them and whether the sponsors were forced to carry them for the governor.”

Senate Bill 4-C appears to be the bill that was passed. You can see more details about it on the Senate website, where it notes that it was voted on on April 20th and got 23 yeas and 16 nays.

Senate Bill 4-C says “Notwithstanding s. 189.072(2), any independent special district established by a special act prior to the date of ratification of the Florida Constitution on November 5, 1968, and which was not reestablished, re-ratified, or otherwise reconstituted by a special act or general law after November 5, 28 1968, is dissolved effective June 1, 2023. An independent special district affected by this subsection may be reestablished on or after June 1, 2023, pursuant to the
31 requirements and limitations of this chapter.”

The Reedy Creek Improvement District was created in 1967 (thus, prior to the 1968 date in the Bill).

House Bill 3-C appears to be the version of this bill that was introduced in the Florida House. The Senate website notes that the latest action in the House indicates that it was placed for a 3rd reading. That has since been updated to note that it was added to a third reading calendar.

The House website notes that a specific amendment failed after a 2nd reading. That has since been updated to say that the House substituted SB 4-C and “H Laid on Table, refer to SB 4-C.”

Michael Grieco, a member of the Florida House of Representatives, tweeted yesterday that the Florida Legislature “cannot unilaterally dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. It’s an exercise in futility…”

But it seems at least Senate leaders were quick to vote on the matter today.

The FL Legislature cannot unilaterally dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. It’s an exercise in futility…

This whole thing is an effort to deflect attention away from the unconstitutional redistricting of Congressional districts and diluting of the black vote.

— Michael Grieco (@Mike_Grieco) April 19, 2022

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we see.

Click here to see why analysts say Florida stripping Disney World’s power could COST residents and counties

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The post NEWS: Bill That Could End Disney World’s Self Governance Takes a Big Step Forward first appeared on the disney food blog.