I was not even think of cyber attack and this possibility losing power/ services, I was focused about the 2 Billion of bond debt that could be dumped on the Orange and Osceola tax payers.
State bond guy says they have 1 billion outstanding and a new district will be created to have the same powers minus the nuke plant among others but the debt will NOT be pressed on the surrounding counties. They are very sensitive to their rating quality and he called the principal debt holders when this first was brought up to soothe their fears.
He says he thinks it will. It’s not something he controls or for which any actual work has been made public. Less powers could also still be an impairment of the District’ ability to carry out its work, especially given the lack of care out into understanding how the District is actually structured and operates.
I guess we will find out eventually.
That’s good news.
I will try again. This sounds very familiar. Many on here have speculated for a while that this would be the eventual plan for RCID. Replace it with a new district that’s virtually the same in all areas that matter and remove some of the useless or non-essential elements like the option to build a nuclear power plant. I assume that would satisfy the bond holders, keep the local taxpayers from taking any of the burden from dissolving the district and leave Disney economically about the same place they are today. Cooler heads will prevail and those wanting a big, public fight will be left disappointed, but it checks mostly all of the boxes for everyone else.
The discussion on wind/solar vs nuclear is kinda off topic, but I will comment on the idea of RCID building a nuclear plant themselves.
Being involved in nuclear power doesn’t have to just mean building a reactor at Walt Disney World. The District is allowed to own and be involved in projects outside of its geographical boundary. The District is involved with Duke Energy on solar projects outside of the District. The Orlando Utility Commission has an interest in St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant which is well outside Orlando and Orange County. Preventing the District from being involved with nuclear power means preventing them from ever making the exact sort of energy investments Republicans generally favor.
The article specifically mentioned operating a nuclear power plant:
The article isn’t a review of a specific proposal. Would owning part of a reactor not count because operating might be handled by someone else?
If you go back and look, DeSantis’s specific comment was an objection that Disney (through RCID) could build their own nuclear power plant. I don’t think that would extend to buying output from a plant that someone else owns/operates. In addition, any company with the means has the ability to buy a financial interest in a nuclear power plant even if they have no need for the power produced. There are banks and even hedge funds that have been involved in various projects. There are much more stringent requirements around who operates the plants due to safety and security concerns.
Florida will have to get by with its 5 existing nuclear reactors...
I have to agree here. They wouldn't be pitching ideas while backpedaling if this was already a sound legal action. You'd just see officials pointing up in the air and crassly yelling "Scoreboard!"
RCID has no choice but to operate business as usual especially when it comes to something like electricity. No matter what happens, WDW needs power. I think who will pay the electricity bill after RCID is gone is the question.Disney’s Reedy Creek district extends agreements
The Reedy Creek Improvement District, the governing body overseeing Walt Disney World in Orlando, is moving forward with business as usual, despite its looming dissolution in 2023.www.yahoo.com
RCID is continuing to operate business as usual. They signed contract extensions through 2024 for electricity purchases for the district. Not sure if the contracts address the district being dissolved or have any sort of change of control clauses in them, but I would imagine Duke and the Florida Municipal Power Agency are both well aware of the situation and have determined the risk is not high enough to decline signing the contracts. These are the type of contracts that could end up in court if the district is really dissolved along with hundreds of other vendors doing business with the district.
