Lawmakers from Orange County, Florida met on Wednesday to put together legislation to repeal the bill the dissolved the former Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. This is one step towards a return to the structure that governed the district, where most of Walt Disney World Resort is found, to what it was before Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decided to wage war against Disney.
State Senator Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, asked her fellow Orange County legislators to support a local bill to revert the arrangement to what it was before Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers targeted the district. “It’s not working, and there’s no transparency,” Stewart said. “I think that we need to start over.”
The new system not only renamed the district to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District but also allows the Governor to appoint members to the board of supervisors for the board. Currently, only one of the members on the board lives in the Orlando area. Previously, they were all from the area and appointed by Disney, the largest entity being represented in the district.
During the meeting on Wednesday, the Democratic representatives and senators who represent Orange County voted to approve Stewart’s bill. This will allow her to introduce it during a legislative session in Tallahassee. There were also three Republican lawmakers at the meeting who left before the vote on this bill.
If and when the bill is introduced in the state legislature, it currently will have little chance of passing. There is a Republican majority in the state legislature with most of the party supporting the Governor’s efforts. however, things could change as more comes to light about the current state of the district.
Daps Magic will continue to follow this story and provide updates on any developments. What do you think about this proposed bill? Do you think the district should be the Reedy Creek Improvement District again? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
