Ever since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis first attempted to take control of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, there have been two very opposing sides.

DeSantis was eventually able to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, giving the area a new governing board. Since then, the board’s decisions have been controversial and not everyone has been pleased by the proceedings. Currently, some lawmakers are seeking to repeal DeSantis’s takeover…but there may be some obstacles in the way.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that three Republican state lawmakers walked out of Orange County’s legislative delegation meeting on Wednesday, November 28th. Senators Jason Brodeur and Dennis Baxley, along with Rep. Doug Bankson, left the meeting just before a vote on restoring Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Because of their departure, the delegation lost its quorum. The lawmakers didn’t mention Disney’s bill before leaving, but did say they were upset with the delegation’s rules for picking leaders. The remaining Democrats voted 7-0 to advance the bill but later discovered they didn’t have enough members present, and the vote was rendered invalid.

Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani chairs the delegation. “It’s disrespectful to the staff who spent hours preparing for this meeting and to the more than 100 members of the public who signed up to speak,” she said of the walkout. “I can only assume this was less about delegation rules and more about Republican lawmakers not wanting to take a vote on restoring Reedy Creek.”

Brodeur noted that he was upset about a rule that requires the delegation’s leadership to have at least 50% of their district in Orange County. The rule makes elected officials without a majority of their district in Orange County ineligible to lead the delegation. “I don’t want to participate in a kangaroo court for whom the outcomes are already pre-determined,” he said. “This is silly. … It absolutely discriminates and limits minority access to leadership roles.”

After the meeting, Baxley was reached by phone and said his departure had nothing to do with the Disney vote. “This whole idea that some people are not to be included is disturbing when you are duly elected,” Baxley said. “We are equal, but some are more equal than others. I don’t like that.”

Senator Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, said the walkout won’t stop her from introducing a bill to undo the Reedy Creek takeover. She said the delegation plans to consider it again next week. “They haven’t discouraged me or derailed me yet,” Stewart said. “They can’t stop me.”

However, even if such a bill is introduced, it faces difficult odds in Tallahassee. The GOP-dominated Legislature voted heavily in favor of overhauling the district previously. And if it passes the legislature, it could still be vetoed by Governor DeSantis. 

We’ll keep an eye on this situation and let you know if there are any updates. Stay tuned to DFB.

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The post NEWS: Vote To Repeal DeSantis’ Disney Bill Delayed After Republican Lawmaker Walkout first appeared on the disney food blog.