BE OUR GUEST: Florida Senate Votes to End Disney’s Tax and Jurisdiction Privileges

Disney World may no longer enjoy the special privileges given to them in the 50-year old Reedy Creek Improvement District statute —the Florida Senate has taken the first steps to eliminating the sweetheart deal.

“The measure potentially delivers a blow to the company’s operations in the state,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “The special district, created in 1967 and known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, exempts Disney from a host of regulations and certain taxes and fees related to emergency services and road maintenance.”

The statute reportedly saves Disney tens of millions of dollars a year.

“What I would say as a matter of first principle is I don’t support special privileges in law just because a company is powerful and they’ve been able to wield a lot of power,” DeSantis said during a press conference last month. “I think what has happened is there’s a lot of these special privileges that are not justifiable, but because Disney had held so much sway, they were able to sustain a lot of special treatment over the years.”

The bill is now off to the House, where it is expected to pass. Then, to DeSantis who is certain to sign it.

House member Randy Fine shared news of the initiative earlier this week:

“Disney is a guest in Florida. Today, we remind them. @GovDeSantis just expanded the Special Session so I could file HB3C which eliminates Reedy Creek Improvement District, a 50 yr-old special statute that makes Disney to exempt from laws faced by regular Floridians.”