BREAKING: Florida Senate Passes Bill to Strip Disney from Self-Governing Power in Florida, Bill Heads to Florida House

By  //  April 20, 2022

bill passed in the Senate by vote 23–16

ABOVE VIDEO: Florida Gov. DeSantis threatens to repeal Disney World’s self-governing power

ORLANDO, FLORIDA (FOX NEWS) – The Florida Senate approved a bill Wednesday that dissolves special self-governing status given to Disney over 50 years ago after the company publicly feuds with Republicans over a controversial parental rights bill.

The Republican controlled chamber passed the bill, by a margin of 23–16, that would dissolve special status granted to the company that essentially allows Disney to self-govern on its large property near Orlando.

The special status, known as The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, was signed into law in May 1967 by Gov. Claude Kirk in response to lobbying efforts by Disney. The entertainment giant proposed building a recreation-oriented development on 25,000 acres of property in a remote area of Central Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties, which consisted of 38.5 square miles of largely uninhabited pasture and swampland.

Orange and Osceola County did not have the services or resources needed to bring the project to life, so the state legislature worked with Disney to establish the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special taxing district that allows the company to act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government.

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