Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs bill to nullify Disney's Reedy Creek agreements

May 05, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

Posted: Friday May 5, 2023 2:06pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has wasted no time signing the bill attempting to nullify Disney's February 8 Reedy Creek developer agreement.

DeSantis received the SB 1604 bill this afternoon after it passed the Florida house and senate and was given until May 20 to sign it into law.

The bill contains specific text to target Disney's final agreements with Reed Creek Improvement District, which you can see below.

(7) REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.—An independent
343 special district is precluded from complying with the terms of
344 any development agreement, or any other agreement for which the
345 development agreement serves in whole or part as consideration,
346 which is executed within 3 months preceding the effective date
347 of a law modifying the manner of selecting members of the
348 governing body of the independent special district from election
349 to appointment or from appointment to election. The newly
350 elected or appointed governing body of the independent special
351 district shall review within 4 months of taking office any
352 development agreement or any other agreement for which the
353 development agreement serves in whole or part as consideration
354 and shall, after such review, vote on whether to seek readoption
355 of such agreement. This subsection shall apply to any
356 development agreement that is in effect on, or is executed
357 after, the effective date of this section. This subsection
358 expires July 1, 2028, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
359 through reenactment by the Legislature.

Rep. Anna Eskamani reported on Twitter that the governor signed the bill just before 2pm. Unlike his previous bill signings regarding Reedy Creek, DeSantis did not hold a press conference to mark the event.

Ron DeSantis earlier this year signing the bill to replace Reedy Creek Improvement District with his hand-picked board

SB 1604 bill revokes Disney's final February 8 developer agreement and restrictive covenants with Reedy Creek. According to DeSantis, it is Florida law that the legislature or the governing body can revoke developer agreements.

It isn't clear how this DeSantis-backed bill will impact Disney's latest legal move, or how it fits in with legal efforts by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to enforce its position to nullify Disney's agreements with Reedy Creek.

The DeSantis-appointed board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said earlier this week that they will countersue Disney in an attempt to "uphold and enforce the board's April 26, 2023 legislative findings relating to the February 8, 2023 development agreement and declaration of restrictive covenants."

The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit in a Florida Federal Court last week, naming Florida Governor and the entire Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.

Disney claims in its lawsuit filed in a federal court yesterday that there has been "A targeted campaign of government retaliation-orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney's protected speech-now threatens Disney's business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights."

In the lawsuit, Disney is asking for the court to declare that the February 8 contracts remain in effect and enforceable.

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DCBaker8 hours ago

Here's the full packet: https://www.oversightdistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-28-25-BOS-Agenda-packet.pdf Item 7.4 on the Sunshine Corridor PD&E Study:

Dr.GrantSeeker2 days ago

Oof, 2031 is a long ways away! Wonder how long it will actually take if and when they start it. Edit: thanks Len!

castlecake2.02 days ago

lentesta2 days ago

AFAIK the road budget is still in place. IIRC it was a tie-in of Western Way to the east side of property. ETA: Yep. Look at Exhibit D in this doc from the CFTOD boaerd meeting on 2024-06-05.

LAKid532 days ago

What more can be done?

Dr.GrantSeeker2 days ago

I remember RCID approving a bunch of infrastructure work for Western Way and the BV Drive intersection right before they became CFTOD. Do we still know if these improvements are going to happen and when? @lentesta I’m tagging you because i vaguely remember you talking about this a year ago-ish, which is how I learned about it in the first place. Unless my memory is totally wrong (which it could be) so I apologize in advance if you never mentioned these improvements!

LAKid532 days ago

Have you met OC Planning? Their middle name is urban sprawl....

LAKid532 days ago

It is. I laugh everytime I'm GPSed through property on the way back from MCO. And I think the same on the way home from Port Canaveral. I'd rather make a larger loop around than drive Osceola Parkway to LBV Drive to Western Way to Hartzog.

lazyboy97o2 days ago

And instead of real solutions people just double down on the causes of traffic.

castlecake2.02 days ago

The blessing of size lead to urban sprawl on property, the very thing Walt’s EPCOT was trying to fix. One solution could be trying to implement public transit to get Cast living nearby to work, but Orlando’s transit is terrible, and the sprawl across property makes it hard to make an efficient system for moving people. Now with the sprawl surrounding the property, Disney roads are becoming the shortcuts. The isolated feel of entire resort is quickly disappearing.

LAKid532 days ago

State Road 535 (Avalon Road) North from the intersection at Hartzog is now wall to wall apartment complexes up to New Independence. I had to make a detour to get out of Waterleigh due to road resurfacing and the same is going south. The roads in Horizons West currently can't handle the traffic resulting from the increase in developments. Yeah, it's nice that 429 North of the toll before the Turnpike had been widened, but it's a hot mess in the AM & PM up to that spot. The amount of construction since I bought 2.5 years ago is insane. Don't know HOW they'll widen Western Way once you leave property because there's not much space to add another lane under the 429 overpass. Flamingo Crossings area is growing. And the roads can't handle the traffic.

LuvtheGoof2 days ago

Western Way was really bad around 5:30 yesterday. And then a few idiots on the turnpike going north decided to have a 4 car pile up, blocking both lanes in the construction area, and our normal 2 - 2 1/2 hour trip took almost 4 hours last night!

LAKid533 days ago

My GPS sends me THROUGH property on the way back from MCO. But South on 429 to get there.

LAKid533 days ago

Avalon is bad in the mornings & evenings. Now imagine adding a 1400 unit housing project on Hartzog just before the curve to the intersection with Avalon. Which was just widened up to Schofield.