LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (FNN) – “The corporate kingdom comes to an end,” Governor Ron DeSantis declared as he opened his press conference at Reedy Creek Fire Station #4 Monday morning to sign H9-B, legislation completely dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The governor announced the individuals he has appointed to the board that will govern Walt Disney World going forward, explaining that he first urged the Florida legislature to draft the bill last year because he felt it was unfair that Disney had the exemption to govern itself and properties and enjoyed tax exemptions while all other theme parks were taxed by the Florida government and had no exemptions.
Tim Stromsnes, communications director of the Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters Local 2117 union, noted that the RCID began to decline in quick responsiveness to emergencies due to a lack of priority on safety for first responders and that the district chose to instead prioritize bringing more money into its coffers.
In a press release, the Governor’s Office detailed that the legislation amends the Reedy Creek Improvement District charter by:
- ending Disney’s self-governing status
- ending Disney’s exemption from the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code
- ending Disney’s exemption from state regulatory reviews and approvals
- ending Disney’s secrecy by ensuring transparency
- ensuring that Disney will pay its fair share of taxes
- preventing “leftist local governments from using the situation to raise local taxes”
- imposing Florida law so that Disney is no longer given preferential treatment
- ensuring that Disney’s municipal debt will be paid by Disney, not Florida taxpayers
DeSantis’s Thoughts on the Fatal Shooting in Orlando
The governor was asked about the shooting death of 24-year-old Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylon Lyons as well as 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin and nine-year-old T’yonna Major, who were killed in Pine Hills last week, and the fact that the killer had such a criminal history. He expressed outrage at the fact that the killer, 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, was still on the street by that point. “These prosecutors need to hold criminals accountable,” he said. He referenced State Attorney Worrell’s disclaimer Thursday that her office could only prosecute juvenile offenses up to a year-plus.
When asked about fixing the juvenile justice system, which many elected leaders say is lacking funding, he mentioned that he’s working on a portion of the budget that would increase the pay for prosecutors, and additionally creating a school to help offenders get on “the straight and narrow.”
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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com
