Update: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Still with No Plan Regarding RCID
His spokesperson told me there is nothing new to report
More than a month after rushing through legislation ending the special taxing district called Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis still has no plan for how this will be transformed.
RCID is the district which houses Disney World; it was created in the 1960s.
After Disney came out against the Parental Rights in Education bill, DeSantis and his allies in the state legislature used the special session to quickly pass legislation ending the special taxing district.
Last month, I interviewed Sarah Rumpf who writes for Law & Crime and others.
She took a deep dive at what Governor Desantis and his allies were doing, and she warned that this was being done haphazardly, without the input of the local governments, and worst of all, without a plan for how to transition from this special taxing district.
Sarah may indeed be right: particularly on the last point.
In preparation for the May interview, I reached out to Governor DeSantis office and his spokesperson Christina Pushaw provided a response which included, “The specific plan for Reedy Creek is being finalized and should be ready to share with you in the next few weeks.”
I reached back out to Ms. Pushaw to see if a plan has been finalized.
“We do not have any update to share at this time.” She responded.
She also attached a dismissal of a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis regarding his termination of RCID.
Plaintiffs’ theory of standing is that the elimination of the Reedy Creek Improvement District might result in financial harm to Plaintiffs by virtue of a tax increase that has not yet been enacted. (See Compl. ¶¶ 7–10). That indirect and highly speculative alleged injury cannot support federal jurisdiction. Senate Bill 4-C itself will not raise Plaintiffs’ taxes. Again — it is worth emphasizing — the bill does not apply to Plaintiffs at all.
It is true that a recent lawsuit was dismissed, however, that lawsuit was brought by a group of citizens and not Disney. Disney plans on filing its own lawsuit.
Furthermore, the lawsuit which was dismissed has been refiled in another court.
More importantly, the lawsuits don’t answer the question: How will Florida transition from the special taxing district to a regular district for the area surrounding Disney World.
As Sarah explained, the relationship between Disney and Florida was complex, and mutually beneficial.
In fact, one reason why Disney chose Florida for its theme park was the special taxing district.
Furthermore, Sarah noted that Disney pays more and provides better services: including the roads and other services.
When she spoke with local officials, they told her no one from the governor’s office contacted them. She said the two neighboring counties- Orange and Osceola- were not equipped to handle this kind of transition.
Now, it looks like the governor’s office does not have a plan of its own.