Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced today that he has officially ordered an investigation into Disney over recent developments regarding the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Walt Disney World has been locked in a heated legal, political, and social battle with Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis after the company spoke out against the Parental Rights law. DeSantis and his supporters have retaliated by passing legislation to dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, a privilege held by the company since 1967 that allowed it to treat Walt Disney World as a self-governing area. In its stead, DeSantis appointed a handpicked board now called The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
However, the new board made national headlines last week when it discovered a strange clause in the previous board’s last Development Agreement. The clause severely limits or eliminates most of the new board’s power with a “royal lives” clause; a common clause in UK contracts (but less common in the United States) that defines the contract’s terms to expire “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England…” The clause also says that the Declaration will terminate “as of the date that none of [Walt Disney Parks & Resorts] owns any real property within 10 miles of the RCID properties.”
Upon discovery, the board immediately spoke out against Disney, with one member stating: “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.” It should be noted that the Development Agreement, and all other agreements, were discussed in public meetings before the Florida House voted to sign power to DeSantis. Disney released its own response:
“All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law.”
While speaking at a book signing in Smyrna, Georgia last week, DeSantis commented on the situation, ominously stating “There’s a lot of little back-and-forths going on now with the state taking control, but rest assured, you know, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Today, in a letter to Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel, the Governor ordered an investigation into any possible “legal or ethical violations” by the previous Reedy Creek Board.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District argues that the previously made agreements are unlawful and should not have been allowed. Ron Peri, one of the new Board Members, stated that the agreements have stripped the board of all of its power and “made Disney the government”.
It should be known that the members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District originally passed and signed this agreement in a public forum with no comment.
