News Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

[lordsigma]

You can't have it both ways. In this thread, you have claimed:

1) Disney does not receive special benefits, whether financial or in the form of regulatory exemptions, AND;

2) Disney will be harmed by the dissolution of the RCID.

#1 and #2 can't both be true.

They actually are. Most of the benefit Disney gets and the reason they benefit from the district is their freedom from overnight by the local planning authorities which gives them great flexibility in their master planning. In return for the benefit they pay a large portion of the costs for the district services. But they still have to abide by state regulations and they still pay property taxes (to the district which then invests the taxes in the services.)

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Which is it?

Either WDW doesn't get special treatment from RCID, or Disney will be harmed if Florida dissolves the RCID. It can't be both.

The special privileges don't include exemptions from safety standards. You seem to think the only options are "exempt from safety standards" or "no benefits from RCID." That's such a logically flawed argument that I don't even think you actually believe it.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I do not know how this will play out, but right now, removal of RCID does not look like a good move for the state of Florida, or for DeSantis either. DeSantis need Florida in 2024

He needs the blue wall and guys from Florida don’t get it.

We don’t need to think too hard on this one.

 

[MisterPenguin]

It makes perfect sense. Why are you okay with Universal having to abide by government regulations but not Disney?

Disney's building regulations are more strenuous than the FL state codes. RCID's codes were developed when the state had no applicable codes.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

As to the results of the dissolution of the RCID, it doesn't have to be all good or all bad. There can be pros and cons for both WDW and the counties.

But it’s not happening anyway

 

[the_rich]

It makes perfect sense. Why are you okay with Universal having to abide by government regulations but not Disney?

What government regulations? Why was Florida fine with it up until now? This is pure government overreach.

 

[peter11435]

Seven hells, it was an analogy applied to Chick-fil-a. Some very smart people on this board are pretending like they don't know how analogies work.

Yes but it was not a good analogy. You act like WDW/RCID operates like the Wild West and can do whatever they want and that is simply not true. There are numerous state and federal agencies they must report to or that have oversight over the district. There are codes, guidelines, and regulations they must follow. There are enforcement mechanisms in place and consequences if they fail to properly govern.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney's building regulations are more strenuous than the FL state codes. RCID's codes were developed when the state had no applicable codes.

I’m amazed when anyone thinks that Disney builds are like a circus carnival quality…

As if being sued for construction malfeasance is something their lawyers would ever tolerate?

 

[flynnibus]

Certainly when the statute was put in place to prevent the legislature from unilaterally dissolving a district they didn’t intend for that same legislature to simply ignore that statute.

But that's the thing with laws at the same level.. they can make new laws. If you want it untouchable, that's why you put it in the higher law - the state constitution.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Not a surprise Disney got their way in court ruling judge to pay lower taxes in regards to appraisals items

Both Universal *and* Disney took the appraiser to court for what they believed was over-appraising the value of their stuff. A judge sided with both Universal and Disney.

Also, this has nothing to do with the RCID.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Those schemes would still impact the other parks. And again, the locals don’t want this.

The locals also don't like increased taxes. I'm willing to bet that given the choice between (a) my taxes go up, or (b) Disney's taxes go up, the locals will choose option B every time.

 

[flynnibus]

That area is doing JUST FINE without that campus.. it's not going to miss Disney.

Turning away potentially thousands of jobs paying way more than the region's normal? Yeah no... they want them.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It makes perfect sense. Why are you okay with Universal having to abide by government regulations but not Disney?

What government regulations does Disney not have to abide by? Please name 1.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

But that's the thing with laws at the same level.. they can make new laws. If you want it untouchable, that's why you put it in the higher law - the state constitution.

Oh stop. They didn’t need to put reedy creek in the state constitution. Florida is the winner when Disney dropped into the swamp. Every single day since.

Is this the “Orlando isn’t just tourists, routine?”

it’s tired.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Which is it?

Either WDW doesn't get special treatment from RCID, or Disney will be harmed if Florida dissolves the RCID. It can't be both.

There is no contradiction, you’ve just decided that lack of taxations be lack of regulation are the only possible benefits. Where Disney benefits is in control. They still have to follow state law and regulations. The only local regulations they don’t follow are zoning, which is a moot issue because Orange County already has a zoning classification that would let Disney do as they please, just like Universal and SeaWorld.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Anyone want to take odds that this thread will be closed soon?

 

[mikejs78]

Not sure how people got to this interpretation. 189.072 simply states that if the district was authorized by a referendum, then it has to be dissolved the same way. Likewise, if a county commission created it, then the county has to dissolve it. Reedy Creek was created by the Legislature, so only the Legislature can dissolve it involuntarily.

That's not what that section says at all.

In order for the Legislature to dissolve an active independent special district created and operating pursuant to a special act, the special act dissolving the active independent special district must be approved by a majority of the resident electors of the district or, for districts in which a majority of governing body members are elected by landowners, a majority of the landowners voting in the same manner by which the independent special district’s governing body is elected. If a local general-purpose government passes an ordinance or resolution in support of the dissolution, the local general-purpose government must pay any expenses associated with the referendum required under this paragraph.

It specifically states here that to dissolve a district created with a special act (which Reedy Creek was), it has to be approved by the residents or landowners.

 

[mgf]

Everyone remember that they made this bill broad enough to apply to a number of special districts so that they can't be blamed for targeting Disney specifically.

It targets 6 special districts. That isn't broad. That is just not caring if there is some collateral damage on the way to your target.

" If the bill is signed into law by DeSantis, Reedy Creek, along with five other special districts established before November 1968, would be dissolved effective June 1, 2023." https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/21/florida-set-to-dissolve-disneys-reedy-creek-special-district.html

 

[Nottamus]

The Florida headlines these past 2 weeks have drawn a very dark picture of the state to outsiders like myself

I didn’t expect this vote to go as far as it did and not really be thrown out for what it is: playground retaliation.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The Villages' special districts don't serve a Fortune 500 company generating billions in revenue each year. They serve the needs of ordinary individual Floridians.

Nobody can honestly make the argument that RCID doesn't exist to serve the needs of Disney.

Of course it was created for the needs of Disney, because there wasn't the infrastructure available in the Orange County area swamplands to service such a giant business.

Walt bought enough land so that WDW could be, in effect, its own town. Remember, The Florida Project was not about the MK (in Walt's mind), but about building a futuristic, ideal planned community: EPCOT.

The idea was that the whole of the land would be EPCOT (with a nearby amusement park called The Magic Kingdom).

And by having their own, in effect, town; Disney didn't have the headaches they had in Anaheim where town neighbors complained about the noise of fireworks. And if Disney didn't comply, they would stack the town council and force WDW to comply by statute.

Today's situation is different than back then, but, for as large as WDW is, its useful for them to manage their own governmental services through the RCID.