The Florida Senate has passed a bill that gives them some control over Disney’s monorail system.
This afternoon, May 2, 2023, the Florida State Senate passed SB 1250. While this is a standard transportation bill, it includes an amendment that would allow the Florida Department of Transportation to oversee inspections of Disney World’s monorails. The amendment states that “any governmentally or privately owned fixed-guideway transportation systems operating in this state which are located within an independent special district created by a local act which has boundaries within two contiguous counties.” The bill passed 26-14.
The amendment was originally filed days after a press conference with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in which he discussed the state’s takeover and dissolving of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Previously, the Governor has threatened to make major adjustments to Walt Disney World’s operations, including the possibility of raising tolls on roads leading to the property or building a prison next to Walt Disney World.
So what does this mean for Walt Disney World? To start off, the bill allows the state government to oversee inspections of Disney World’s monorail system, meaning they could close, modify, or disable it for any reason they see fit. This bill could also go on to apply to Disney’s Skyliner system, boat transportation, or bus operations, which would grant the Florida Senate major control over how Guests get around Walt Disney World.
While the bill may seem innocent enough, Governor DeSantis and the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have made it clear that they’re not pleased with Disney’s operations after the company spoke out against the Governor’s Parental Rights in Education Act.
In fact, the Governor has made his intentions of targeting Disney so clear that Disney recently filed a bombshell lawsuit against the Governor and the members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District for violation of their free speech as a company. Yesterday, the Board voted to file a countersuit against Disney. Public opinion on the case is largely in Disney’s favor, but the Governor has commented that he believes Disney’s lawsuit has no merit.
While something as drastic as a permanent closure of the monorail system or any other transportation system is unlikely, the bill does give the Florida Senate (and in turn, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) a lot of control. If Disney’s lawsuit is to be believed, that means they could use it to hinder Disney’s operations if they see fit.
