{"id":1844340,"date":"2023-02-12T10:04:53","date_gmt":"2023-02-12T15:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1844340"},"modified":"2023-02-12T10:10:23","modified_gmt":"2023-02-12T15:10:23","slug":"desantis-wins-control-of-disneys-special-self-governing-district-new-era-of-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-wins-control-of-disneys-special-self-governing-district-new-era-of-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Wins Control of Disney\u2019s Special Self-Governing District: &#8220;New Era of Accountability&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-wins-control-of-disneys-special-self-governing-district-new-era-of-accountability%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1844340&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47-->\n<p>Florida lawmakers have passed a bill giving control of Disney\u2019s special tax district in central Florida to a Senate-approved board, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who advocated for the measure to make it more accountable to the voters.<\/p>\n<p>The final approval of the Legislators was given on February 10th to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myfloridahouse.gov\/Sections\/Bills\/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=77294\">Authorizing bill<\/a> DeSantis to appoint five directors to manage the Reedy Creek Improvement District. It is a quasi-government entity which oversees the 25,000 acres that surround Walt Disney World.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlorida is \u2026 beginning a new era of accountability and transparency,\u201d said DeSantis\u2019 spokesperson Bryan Griffin.<\/p>\n<p>Griffin said that the prior arrangement\u2014in which a legislative decision in the 1960s gave Disney sole control over the district\u2014was insufficiently accountable to Florida voters.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0special status of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, located in Osceola and Orange counties, provided self-governance to the Disney World resort.<\/p>\n<p>It gave Disney the ability to create and enforce its building codes and zoning rules, as well to levy taxes to operate its utility services and to levy taxes.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis and Republican leaders have sought to change how Reedy Creek operates, arguing that it\u2019s not subject to sufficient accountability and public scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Some supporters of changes to Reedy Creek have also argued that the district\u2019s tax collection and governmental immunity provisions are not in the best interest of Floridians.<\/p>\n<p>Osceola County, January <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osceola.org\/news\/reedy-creek-improvement-district-notice.stml\">Notification was issued<\/a> Florida legislators to consider a bill to address Reedy Creek operations. \u201cincreasing state oversight, accountability, and transparency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With Friday\u2019s decision in the state legislature, that appeal is fast becoming a reality.<\/p>\n<p>It also comes amid DeSantis\u2019 pushback against Disney\u2019s vocal backing of left-leaning political causes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5050759\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Disney-Florida-1200x900-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-large wp-image-5050759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Disney-Florida-1200x900-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"   style=\"display:none\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5050759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Disney-Florida-1200x900-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A float with people dressed up as characters from Walt Disney movies \u201cPeter Pan\u201d As people attend the \u201cFestival of Fantasy\u201d Parade at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Fla., July 30, 2022 (Octavio Jones\/Reuters)<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018New Sheriff in Town\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking at a Feb. 8 press conference ahead of the bill\u2019s passage on Friday, DeSantis said a big change was coming in how the district would be run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is obviously now going to be controlled by the state of Florida, which is no longer self-governing for them,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cSo, there\u2019s a new sheriff in town, and that\u2019s just the way it\u2019s going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once DeSantis signs the bill into law, the Reedy Creek Improvement District will be renamed\u00a0Central Florida Tourism Oversight District within two years.<\/p>\n<p>However, the district will be preserved intact and its tax benefits will continue. This includes retaining tax-exempt status of the district\u2019s property.<\/p>\n<p>Under the new legislation, the Florida Senate will confirm the district\u2019s five board members, who will play no role in the day-to-day operations of Disney\u2019s theme parks.\u00a0Anyone with ties to Disney&#8217;s theme parks in the last three years is also prohibited from serving on this board.<\/p>\n<p>The district will be able to collect revenue, pay financial obligations and provide a range of government services. However, it will be restricted from building an airport or operating a stadium. Additional reporting requirements will be required.<\/p>\n<p>Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wdwmagic.com\/other\/walt-disney-company\/news\/10feb2023-walt-disney-world-president-jeff-vahle-releases-a-statement-on-the-apparent-demise-of-reedy-creek-improvement-district.htm\">A statement was issued<\/a> Responding to the bill&#8217;s passage they praised Reedy Creek&#8217;s work over the past 50+ years, while accepting the new arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor more than 50 years, the Reedy Creek Improvement District has operated at the highest standards, and we appreciate all that the District has done to help our destination grow and become one of the largest economic contributors and employers in the state,\u201d Vahle said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are focused on the future and are ready to work within this new framework, and we will continue to innovate, inspire, and bring joy to the millions of guests who come to Florida to visit Walt Disney World each year,\u201d He added.<\/p>\n<p>As the Senate debated the bill on Friday, some Democrats voiced their opposition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis all seems a retaliation by the governor for Disney voicing its support for the LGBTQ community,\u201d Linda Stewart (Democratic State Senator) is the Orange County representative.<\/p>\n<h2>The Parental Rights Bill is in Controversy<\/h2>\n<p>Disney became embroiled in controversy when it pushed back against the introduction of Florida\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Session\/Bill\/2022\/1557\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Education Rights for Parents<\/a>\u00a0A bill prohibiting the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten and third grades.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2022, then Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the company\u2019s leaders were opposed to the bill \u201cfrom the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis stated that he would look to eliminate special privileges granted to Disney after the company pushed for repeal of the law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re a corporation based in Burbank, California, and you\u2019re going to martial your economic might to attack the parents of my state? We view that as a provocation, and we\u2019re going to fight back against that,\u201d DeSantis made the remarks during an April 2022 event at a local elementary school.<\/p>\n<p>Some time after that,\u00a0Florida lawmakers passed a bill calling for the elimination of Reedy Creek\u2019s special status by June 1, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>But that bill left open questions about Disney\u2019s bond debt of nearly a billion dollars, with the possibility that taxpayers of Osceola and Orange counties, where the district is located, could be liable.<\/p>\n<p>The new bill addresses that problem by retaining the district\u2019s special status while giving control of how it operates to a voter-accountable board.<\/p>\n<p>The legislative change also means that Disney\u2019s bond debt will stay with the district and so will not encumber taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p><em>This report was compiled by Reuters<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida lawmakers have passed a bill giving control of Disney\u2019s special tax district in central Florida to a Senate-approved board, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who advocated for the measure to make it more accountable to the voters. The final approval of the Legislators was given on February 10th to a Authorizing bill &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1844343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[8049,4154,4980,11601,4810,9114,6420,13697,7262,5745],"class_list":["post-1844340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-accountability","tag-control","tag-desantis","tag-disneys","tag-district","tag-era","tag-new","tag-self-governing","tag-special","tag-wins"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1844340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1844340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1844340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1844343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1844340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1844340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1844340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}