A proposal to strip Disney World of its ability to self-inspect its rides and monorails could also alter its participation in an agreement that allows major theme parks to self-report injuries on their attractions.
But the other big theme parks, including Universal and SeaWorld, would still retain those privileges, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who oversees the agency responsible for amusement ride safety, referenced the 23-year-old voluntary agreement that allows the state’s major attractions to file regular reports about ride-related guest injuries that required at least 24 hours of hospitalization.
“Where a person is injured should not determine how the state responds. Everyone should have to play by the same rules,” he said.
State Sen. Geraldine Thompson, whose Tyre Sampson Bill aims to strengthen ride safety requirements for Florida’s smaller attractions, praised the proposal to exempt Disney World, saying, “we want people to know that amusement rides in Florida are safe.”
“This proposed change adds another level of accountability and will likely make individuals more comfortable with amusement rides at Disney,” she said in a statement.
But ride safety expert Brian Avery said safety should not be politicized and such requirements should be uniform across the major theme parks.
“What’s good for one should be good for all,” he said. “This should not be targeted in any way. ... I would rather that they all be removed from the exemption and then the Department of Agriculture acts as a layer providing additional safety inspections, oversight (and) incident and accident investigations.”
State law allows Florida’s theme parks with more than 1,000 full-time employees and their own inspectors to self-inspect their rides as long as they file an annual affidavit with the state asserting the attractions are in compliance with regulations.
The major attractions regularly report ride-related guest injuries under the voluntary memorandum of understanding with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The state agency releases a quarterly report summarizing these injuries, although an Orlando Sentinel investigation in 2020 and subsequent stories have found that details are scarce and can be vague or inaccurate.
On Universal’s E.T. Adventure, for example, an 11-year-old boy crushed his foot as the ride pulled up into the exit platform in 2019, breaking toes on his left foot and his tibia and fibula, according to the family’s attorney. Universal reported the injury as “foot pain” to the state.
When asked Monday if the change meant an end to the state’s quarterly injury report releases, DeSantis said it was “a legislative question, but I think what the Legislature is going to do is apply that to special districts.”
“As you know, (those parks) are not necessarily within special districts,” DeSantis said, referencing Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland and Busch Gardens.
Ride safety advocates have long backed changes to these rules, saying Florida’s biggest theme parks should have the same level of oversight as county fair rides regularly inspected by the state.
But the agriculture agency has been unwilling to change either in recent years. Former Commissioner Nikki Fried’s office said last year it did not have the authority to change the law and that it had revisited the agreement with the theme parks but no changes emerged.
Legislators said they were waiting on the agency to tell them what rule revisions were needed, but the agriculture department said lawmakers needed to lead the charge.
Thompson worked with the agriculture agency to draft the framework for the Tyre Sampson Bill after the death of 14-year-old tourist Tyre Sampson on the Orlando Free Fall last year. The bill’s proposals would not apply to the major theme parks.
She said she excluded the larger attractions from the bill because she did not have the same concerns with them, as they have their own full-time inspectors and greater resources.
On Monday, DeSantis said he didn’t know “if the draft is final” of the legislation that would change Disney’s regulations. Records showed no related bills recently filed in the Legislature.
An unsigned statement from Disney said the company was “instrumental” in developing the memorandum of understanding that allows self-inspection and injury reporting and that the company leads the industry in safety.
Asked for additional information, a representative for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services referred to Simpson’s comments at the news conference.
Coincidentally, DeSantis and Simpson’s announcement coincided with the agriculture department’s release of the quarterly injury report.
In it, Disney, Universal and SeaWorld reported seven injuries from January through March, with Disney showing the majority of documented injuries.
A 75-year-old woman had “cardiac symptoms” after riding Pirates of the Caribbean on Jan. 5, and a 72-year-old man with an unnamed pre-existing condition had “stroke-like symptoms” after riding Kilimanjaro Safaris on Feb. 7. A 72-year-old woman said she felt disoriented after riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance on Feb. 25, and on March 29 a 67-year-old woman fell and fractured her leg while boarding The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
At Universal, a 64-year-old woman developed a headache after riding the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster on Feb. 11, and a 47-year-old man felt abdominal pain after riding the Jurassic World VelociCoaster on March 12.
SeaWorld reported one injury, that of a 70-year-old woman who felt dizzy and lightheaded after riding Cookie Monster’s Cookie Drop kiddie drop tower on Jan. 8.
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