LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - When you look at the Disney signs outside of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, you may think of Mickey Mouse and fun times with family for friends at one of the resort's four theme parks, but experts say it's more like a very large company that has its own town."Back in 1967, when Disney was first buying land and getting ready to set up shop here in town, the legislature and governor gave Disney the power of self-government," explained University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett.That paved the way for the Reedy Creek Improvement Act which created the special district.Reedy Creek, which consists of around 25,000 acres of land carved out from Orange and Osceola counties, has its own city council.
Jewett says the district has two municipalities, Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. "It’s about Disney having a lot of control -- not having to ask Orange County or Orlando permission to do a lot of things.
Instead, they basically can decide what they want to do," Jewett added.Now, Gov. Ron DeSantis could have that district dissolved.After the Walt Disney Company criticized the passage of the Parental Rights in Education law, DeSantis said its executives were trying to inject their "California values" into the more moderate Sunshine State.The law, which critics have called "Don't Say Gay," prohibits Florida educators from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, with a provision that enables parents to sue if they allege schools or instructors have been in violation.Florida’s Republican Gov.
Ron DeSantis addressed on Thursday the suggestion of repealing a 55-year-old state law that allows Disney to effectively govern itself on.