Florida Lawmakers Still Awaiting Proposal To Dismantle Disney's Special Tax District

By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

February 6, 2023

A bill that would end Disney World’s designation as a special tax district is poised for introduction in the Florida House and Senate but had yet to be filed as of noon on Monday, an hour before the Legislature was to convene in a special session.

The Legislature voted last April to eliminate the district, officially known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, effective June 2023.

The special taxing district, created in 1967 by the Florida Legislature and granted the same authority and responsibility as a county government specified that Disney — and not local taxpayers — would be solely responsible for paying the costs of municipal services like power, water, roads, and fire protection, according to the Reedy Creek website.

But that relationship ended dramatically last year after Disney, one of the biggest employers in the state, came out in opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education bill — known by its critics as “Don’t Say Gay” — which limits discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” Disney said in a statement after DeSantis signed the bill into law in late March.

DeSantis retaliated, announcing at the beginning of a previously scheduled special session on congressional redistricting in April that the state would dissolve the special taxing district. DeSantis told reporters that the legislation “is the first step in what’s going to be a process to make sure that Disney should not run its own government,” adding that “under no circumstances will Disney not pay its fair share of taxes.”

The question that has been asked since Reedy Creek was scheduled to be dissolved is who will absorb the district’s services?

“What I want to make sure as an Orange County representative is that the tax burden and the debt on Reedy Creek is not passed down to our constituents,” said Orlando Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani on a Zoom conference call on Monday. “I also want to ensure that Gov. Ron DeSantis does not leverage his own power over this board.”

DeSantis has said Reedy Creek’s “debt will not end up going to any of these local governments.”

Note: Reporter Issac Morgan contributed to this story.

The Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news site that’s free of advertising and free to readers, covers state government and politics through a mix of in-depth stories, briefs, and social media updates on the latest events, editorial cartoons, and progressive commentary. The Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.