DeSantis vs. Disney: Reedy Creek proposal emerges in the Florida Senate

Share
Disney
Walt Disney World entrance in 2010. photo By Jrobertiko (Denis Adriana Macias) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

After Gov. Ron DeSantis refueled a battle this week with Walt Disney Co., a Senate committee Wednesday will take up a proposal aimed at undoing an agreement between Disney and the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board.

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, filed the proposal Tuesday as an amendment to a broader development-related bill (SB 1604). The Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday will decide whether to approve the Reedy Creek amendment and the bill.

DeSantis has targeted Disney during the past year after the entertainment giant opposed a law that restricts instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

The battle has centered, in part, on the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which the state created 1967 and essentially gave Disney control over issues such as land use, fire protection and sewer services that are typically handled by local governments.

The Legislature in February passed a DeSantis-backed bill that replaced the Reedy Creek board with a five-member Board of Supervisors appointed by the governor.

But shortly before the change, the former Reedy Creek board reached a development agreement with Disney.

DeSantis announced Monday that he would seek to revoke changes made by the former Reedy Creek board. Ingoglia’s proposal would effectively prevent the new board from complying with the agreement reached by the former board.

©2023 The News Service of Florida

You may also like

homeowner's insurance
Citizens Property Insurance tries to tamp down concerns that a U.S. Senate committee’s request could cause about its ability to pay claims

Citizens Property Insurance CEO took issue with a U.S. Senate...

gator
Special gator hunting permits put on hold in Florida

A proposal would let five people hunt gators throughout the...

highway construction
Talks will continue over a proposal to expand a highway through part of the Split Oak Forest in Osceola County

A proposed land swap could extend a highway through part...

Felony charges dropped against USF protestors ‘The Tampa Five’

Five demonstrators, known as the “Tampa 5”, will avoid jail...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram