ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law Monday that gives the state control of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, stripping the resort of its self-governing powers amid a feud with the governor.
“Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said at Reedy Creek Fire Station No. 4 on Disney property where he signed the bill. “This is what accountability looks like.”
The law, effective immediately, gives the governor the power to appoint all five members of the governing board of the district. Members would face Senate confirmation.
The governor also announced his choices for the board: Bridget Ziegler, a member of the Sarasota County School Board and a supporter of Moms for Liberty; Seminole County attorney Michael Sasso; attorney Martin Garcia of Tampa as chairman; Ron Peri, CEO of The Gathering USA, a ministry that focuses on faith and culture; and Clearwater attorney Brian Aungst.
The law also renames Reedy Creek as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Under the old law passed by the Legislature as Walt Disney prepared to build his theme park in 1967, the district’s landowners elected the board members. Because Disney owns almost all of the land in the district, it picked all of them.
That law gave Disney unique control over development and other services within its boundaries, something usually reserved for cities and counties.
DeSantis said the arrangement gave Disney an unfair advantage. His critics, however, accused him of “a power grab.”
The change in the law comes amid the company’s opposition to what critics call the “don’t say gay” measure approved by the Legislature and signed into law by DeSantis last year. It prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not “age appropriate.”
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against the law, and Disney suspended political contributions in Florida after DeSantis signed it.
Last year, the governor pushed Florida lawmakers to abolish Reedy Creek effective June 1 of this year, but they left the option of keeping it with changes, which is what lawmakers ultimately did in a special session this month.
Dissolving the district could have saddled Orange and Osceola counties with Reedy Creek’s $1 billion in debt.
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