Reedy Creek Proposal Emerges in Senate

Article reposted with permission from The News Service of Florida.

After Gov. Ron DeSantis refueled a battle this week with Walt Disney Co., a Senate committee Wednesday will take up a proposal aimed at undoing an agreement between Disney and the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, filed the proposal Tuesday as an amendment to a broader development-related bill (SB 1604). The Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday will decide whether to approve the Reedy Creek amendment and the bill. DeSantis has targeted Disney during the past year after the entertainment giant opposed a law that restricts instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The battle has centered, in part, on the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which the state created 1967 and essentially gave Disney control over issues such as land use, fire protection and sewer services that are typically handled by local governments. The Legislature in February passed a DeSantis-backed bill that replaced the Reedy Creek board with a five-member Board of Supervisors appointed by the governor. But shortly before the change, the former Reedy Creek board reached a development agreement with Disney. DeSantis announced Monday that he would seek to revoke changes made by the former Reedy Creek board. Ingoglia’s proposal would effectively prevent the new board from complying with the agreement reached by the former board.