Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature have revoked Walt Disney World鈥檚 unique self-governing district known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, effective June of next year.
That came after Disney鈥檚 CEO spoke against a new law that limits talk of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
Retired Rollins College professor Richard Foglesong, author of 鈥淢arried to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando,鈥� discussed the situation with WMFE.
A mighty mouse
Foglesong said Walt Disney World has been huge for Orlando. It put the city on the map.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the economic engine of Central Florida. And a lot of people depend upon Disney World for their living and I鈥檓 not just talking to people who work in the park. 鈥� And Reedy Creek Improvement District, that is the Disney private government that I call a Vatican with mouse ears, was essential for Disney coming here. When they came, they said that they needed these powers or they would not come because they did not want to depend upon a local or county government for public services. And they didn鈥檛 want to be regulated by a government that they didn鈥檛 control. 鈥� They wanted their own kingdom in the form of a government.鈥�
Reedy Creek鈥檚 $1 billion in bonded debt
We don鈥檛 have an answer yet from state government, specifically from Gov. DeSantis, about how this bonded indebtedness is going to get paid off, by whom and what timetable. And there are consequences here, consequences for the bond buyers, the bond holders, consequences for Orange County. One reading of state law says that if the powers are taken away from Reedy Creek, then they default to county government. There might be consequences for the governor if he鈥檚 embarrassed in the end because there are loose ends here and they have to go back and fix something or maybe not be able to actually execute this dissolution of the powers of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Dire consequences
Foglesong thinks that, in the end, not much will change, because of the dire consequences of a 鈥渄ivorce.鈥�
鈥淚 have referred in my book 鈥淢arried to the Mouse鈥� to the powers of the Reedy Creek Improvement District as a prenuptial agreement. 鈥� [T]he Disney company wanted to preserve its power and so they kind of put a timebomb, you might say, in those powers, making it very difficult for the state to ever take those powers away. And I think we see that now with the imbroglio over what to do about the bonded indebtedness.
鈥淚n the last chapter of my book, it鈥檚 titled 鈥楾herapy.鈥� The chapters of the book correspond with the stages of a marriage, and I鈥檝e been asked over the years, Why isn鈥檛 the last chapter 鈥楧ivorce鈥�? And my answer 鈥� maybe kind of flip sometimes 鈥� was, Well, there鈥檚 too many children. Too many people depend upon Disney鈥檚 being here and Disney having those powers, and I still think that鈥檚 true.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 going to be a divorce. I think rather we鈥檙e going to have some kind of therapy.鈥�
A watershed moment?
Foglesong wonders if this dispute could be a 鈥渨atershed moment鈥� for the country history of gay rights.
鈥淚 think that watching the model of the Disney company speaking back to Gov. DeSantis, there may be other major corporations that will follow suit in this state, in other states. There may be some major corporations who will publicly announce that they鈥檙e not coming to Florida, that they don鈥檛 want to invest here because of the stance taken by the governor in the state Legislature.鈥�
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