ORLANDO, Fla. — The special district governing Disney World could soon be up for discussion again.
What You Need To Know
- State Sen. Linda Stewart, a Democrat, plans to introduce a bill to restore the Reedy Creeek Improvement District
- The special district that oversees Disney World was taken over by the state earlier this year after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation
- The district was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and DeSantis appointed new members to the board
- The takeover came amid an ongoing feud between DeSantis and Disney after the company opposed the Parental Rights in Education law
Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation allowing the state to take over Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, renaming it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District with a new board appointed by the governor.
Now, several months later, State Sen. Linda Stewart, a Democrat, plans to introduce a bill to terminate the CFTOD and restore the district to as it was before the state takeover.
Stewart plans to discuss the proposed bill on Wednesday after Orange County’s delegation meeting.
The state takeover of the district came amid an ongoing feud between DeSantis and Disney that started in 2022 after the entertainment giant publicly opposed the state’s Parental Rights in Education law.
Disney in April filed a lawsuit in federal court against DeSantis and state officials, accusing them of engaging in a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” and violating its free speech rights. The CFOD board followed by filing its own suit against Disney in state court.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District was established by the Florida Legislature in 1967—four years before Disney World opened—allowing the company to provide and manage its own municipal services for the resort property.