Wild Card

Disney as a Democracy

    Disney has its own government and I could not be more shocked. All in all "Disney World is technically its own city with its own residents." This all started in 1965 when the company wanted to expand and Walt Disney and his business partners purchased 27,000 acres of land in Orlando, Florida. After the purchase of this land, they discovered that it laid in two counties (Orange and Osceola) which meant they had to deal with two separate local government. In order to pull off their dream without "bureaucratic red tape", they needed to create "Disney's own self-regulating municipality within a special district." In 1967, Reedy Creek Improvement District was established by the Florida Legislature from the request of Mr. Walt Disney. The special purpose of this district made Disney responsible for providing services such as power, water, roads and fire protection. This district includes Bay Lake, where the Disney theme parks are located, and Lake Buena Vista, where Downtown Disney and park hotels are located. 

    On top of all of that, Reedy Creek also houses 44 residents between two gated mobile-home parks. These residents own their mobile homes and pay Disney $75 a month to rent the lot space. In return, these residents provide the votes needed on issues such as approval of bonds for park improvement. 

    That being said, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed several bills into law, including two that specifically target Disney, "that will put new restrictions on how schools and businesses can talk about race and gender, and the state's new congressional map." This new legislation is taking aim at the company's self-governing status around its Orlando theme parks. The bill the governor signed would eliminate the special legal setup that allows Disney to operate as an independent government in Orlando.

    Initially, the CEO did not have plans to speak out on this bill, but after criticism from his employees he stated "Florida's HB 1557, also known as 'Don't Say Gay' bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law." It was also states that the company was "dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country." Following this statement, DeSantis challenged lawmakers to unravel the 55-year-old Reedy Creek Improvement Act as part of a special legislative session. This bill declares that the special district is to be dissolved on June 1, 2023.

    What would this mean for Disney and Florida as a whole? This dissolution of Reedy Creek would mean that Orange and Osceola counties take on the assets and liabilities of the former District. This could lead to higher taxes for those residents in order to pay off debt and take over the care of roads, policing, fire protection, waste management, and more.