Florida Republican House Speaker Says No to Disney District Legislation Changes

The Republican House Speaker in Florida has said no to legislation that would return the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to its former iteration, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The district is the home to most of Walt Disney World Resort. While talking to reporters on Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Renner said that he still supported the changes that were made to the district last year. These changes not only changed the name of the district, but also empowered Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint board members to the district.

“I think we’ve gone on the right path at least, I don’t want to go back,” Renner said.

Renner continued and added that there have been reports released by the new board that he feels supports the change. The Democrat-led Orange County legislative delegation introduced a bill to return the district to its former version before trying to modify it once again.

On Friday, Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson told the legislative delegation that the district has become a “pawn” in a larger battle affecting the region. This has resulted in an exodus of people employed in “many of the (district) divisions that did things like the public works department.” The departure of employees in the district have been attributed to different reasons by different parties.

The ongoing feud over the future of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District began after former Disney CEO Bob Chapek came out against legislation that was supported by Governor DeSantis. This soon led to a war of words followed by legislative action. Disney eventually sued Governor DeSantis and other Florida leaders in federal court alleging that they had violated their First Amendment rights. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District countersued in a state court. The resolution of these cases could end up determining the future of the district.

What do you think should happen with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District? Should it be returned to its former version as the Reedy Creek Improvement District? Should it continue as it is today? Should something completely different happen? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!