A plan could be developed that creates “efficiencies” that save taxpayers money, he said, adding that other theme parks in the state operate without independent districts. Senate President Wilton Simpson said he expects the matter will be discussed further when the Legislature convenes next year with input from Disney’s legal team. Reedy Creek and Disney did not respond to requests for comment. “At this point, there’s more questions than answers,” Constantine added.įour local governments would be involved in those discussions - Orange and Osceola counties and the Disney-controlled towns of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista.Ī spokesperson from Osceola County said its staff would begin evaluating the situation if and when final action was taken. I can assure you those bondholders … are going to want some entity to guarantee those bonds.” “Who’s going to pay for them? Are they going to be given to counties? Are the counties going to pay for them? Whatever they are, whatever the debt service is, it’s got to be paid. “You’re going to have to flush out where the assets go,” said Constantine, a Seminole County commissioner.
If Reedy Creek is dissolved, top-line items will include determining how its 40 square miles of land straddling both Orange and Osceola Counties would be governed, how its assets would be distributed and its debt paid, said Lee Constantine, a former state representative and senator and the incoming president of the Florida Association of Counties. The residents are trusted Disney employees, making the two cities company towns controlled by Disney, said Richard Foglesong, author of “Married to the Mouse,” a book about the creation of Disney World. Those cities have a combined population of about 53 people, according to census data.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement protection.ĭisney’s private government has been likened to Florida’s 68th county or a “Vatican with mouse ears.” The unique government structure involves Reedy Creek and two cities that Disney controls - Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. Reedy Creek owns and operates wastewater collection and treatment systems, electrical utilities, solid waste and recycling collection, as well as its own fire department. Disney essentially taxes itself through the district to pay for roads, water treatment and other important services for Walt Disney World. WHO GOVERNS DISNEY WORLD?Įstablished in 1967, Reedy Creek allows Disney to use its own building codes and inspectors, avoid bureaucratic red-tape and issue tax-free bonds for its theme parks and resort property in Florida. “It would put an undue burden on the rest of the taxpayers of Orange County to fill that gap,” he said. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Thursday that taking over Reedy Creek’s “first response and public safety components” with no new revenue would be “catastrophic” for the county’s budget. And maybe if Disney behaves over the next election cycle, we’ll undo it,” Farmer said. “It’s shoot first and ask questions later. No detailed nonpartisan figures have been produced on the potential tax liability of dissolving the district. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, estimated it would cost the average family in Orange and Osceola counties $2,200 to pick up the district’s outstanding debt and obligations. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay - could provide the intricate details of how Reedy Creek would be dissolved, saying the matter will be hammered out in the next year.ĭemocrats warn property owners could be hit with higher tax bills if Republicans proceed with their plan. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Rep. Legislators spent only two days examining the bill, unveiled on Tuesday, providing little opportunity for public input. The Legislature did not conduct an economic study on the ramifications of dissolving the district. What happens next is unclear, but Orange County’s tax collector and other opponents of the bill say ending Reedy Creek could lead to higher taxes for Orange and Osceola residents. Ron DeSantis, who has been battling with the entertainment giant, was expected to sign it into law. uses to self-govern its Florida theme park properties on June 1, 2023. State legislators passed a bill Thursday that dissolves the district The Walt Disney Co.
#Gay bars in orange county how to
Dissolving Walt Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District could saddle local taxpayers with about $1 billion in debt and leave local governments scrambling with how to take over vital services for Florida’s top tourist attraction. Leaders would have to determine what happens to the district’s nearly 400 employees, including about 200 people who work for the Reedy Creek Fire Department.