Reedy Creek Improvement District
The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was a special taxing and governing district in Orange and Osceola counties, Florida, created in 1967 to govern the land that became Walt Disney World. For most of its existence the district exercised powers broadly comparable to those of a county government — including land-use regulation, building codes, utilities, roads, fire protection and drainage — within its boundaries, which covered most of the Disney property, including the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. In February 2023 the district was restructured and renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), with a board appointed by the Governor of Florida rather than elected by district landowners.[1]
History
Creation, 1967
When Walt Disney planned his Florida project in the mid-1960s, it centred on more than a theme park: his concept for EPCOT was a functioning city of the future, alongside the resort development. Disney representatives argued that the largely undeveloped swampland site lacked the roads, utilities, drainage and services the project required, and that a special district with governmental powers was needed to provide them.[1][2]
The Florida Legislature passed the Reedy Creek Improvement Act in 1967, and Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. signed it on 12 May 1967. Chapter 67-764 of the Florida statutes created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, replacing the earlier Reedy Creek Drainage District, while companion statutes incorporated the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista.[1][2] The Act granted the district wide-ranging authority, comparable in many respects to a county government, including taxation, bonding, eminent domain, utilities and land-use control.[2]
Because the district's board was elected on a landowner basis and Disney interests owned nearly all of the district's land, the board was in practice selected by Disney for most of the district's history.[1] Using the district's powers and bond financing, Disney built much of the infrastructure of Walt Disney World, which opened on 1 October 1971. Walt Disney's planned city of EPCOT was not built as a residential city; the name was instead applied to the EPCOT Center theme park, which opened in 1982.
Restructuring, 2022–2023
In April 2022, following a public dispute between Disney and state officials over the Parental Rights in Education Act, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 4-C, which provided for the dissolution of special districts created before 5 November 1968, including the RCID, effective June 2023. Questions were subsequently raised about the treatment of the district's outstanding bond obligations, reported at around $1 billion.[1][3]
Rather than dissolving the district, the Legislature passed House Bill 9-B in a special session on 9–10 February 2023. The bill retained the district with reduced powers, renamed it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and replaced its landowner-elected board with five members appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law on 27 February 2023.[1] The legislation provided that the successor district would assume the former district's obligations, and that its existing bonds would not be affected.[3]
Litigation and settlement
Disney filed suit against state officials in federal court on 26 April 2023, and related litigation proceeded in state court. On 31 January 2024, a federal district judge ruled in favour of the state defendants, and Disney appealed.[1] On 27 March 2024, Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District announced a settlement of the state-court lawsuits; under the agreement, the appeal of the federal case was put on hold while the parties negotiated a new development agreement for Walt Disney World.[1]
The successor district continues to provide municipal services — including fire protection, utilities, roads and drainage — to the Walt Disney World area, including Magic Kingdom, the other theme parks, the resort hotels and Disney Springs.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Central Florida Tourism Oversight District." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Florida_Tourism_Oversight_District
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Reedy Creek Improvement Act." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reedy_Creek_Improvement_Act
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "How the Disney Special Tax District Was Restructured." LegalClarity. https://legalclarity.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/480023