TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Dwelling on Monday proposed an overhaul of the Reedy Creek Advancement District that would give energy to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who specific the district final year following he clashed with the Walt Disney Co. more than a controversial instruction law.’
The 189-web site invoice (HB 9B) was produced on the initial day of a special legislative session named, in portion, to deal with the Reedy Creek challenge. The bill would undo a DeSantis-led go past yr to dissolve the taxing district – but would revamp its governance, such as its name.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Fred Hawkins, R-St. Cloud, would give DeSantis authority to appoint a five-member Board of Supervisors that would immediate the district. Immediately after a changeover time period of up to two a long time, the district’s name would modify to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The point out designed the Reedy Creek district in 1967 and primarily gave Disney manage over difficulties these as land use, hearth defense and sewer providers that are commonly managed by nearby governments. The Board of Supervisors has been elected by landowners in the district.
But Disney angered DeSantis very last calendar year by publicly opposing a legislation that restricts instruction about gender id and sexual orientation in colleges. As a outcome, Republican lawmakers handed a measure to dissolve Reedy Creek and five other special districts across the condition. The dissolutions, however, do not acquire effect right up until June 1, offering time for lawmakers to re-establish the districts and make alterations.
DeSantis last 7 days took aim at what he described as “special status” for Disney.
“We are not going to have a company controlling its individual govt. That is heading to revert to the state,” DeSantis reported Wednesday. “The condition is heading to have a board to run it, so Disney will not have self-governing status any more. We are likely to make confident that there are no particular lawful privileges and that they are abiding by the similar legislation. That’ll be in the invoice, and we are producing confident they are having to pay their honest share of taxes and having to pay the financial debt.”
Beneath the bill, DeSantis would appoint the 5 supervisors, who would be topic to Senate affirmation. Current supervisors would be jettisoned from the board.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, named the evaluate a “electricity grab” by DeSantis.
“Reedy Creek invoice just dropped it is 189 web pages very long and I am continue to studying it but it truly is a distinct electrical power seize by the Governor,” Eskamani mentioned in a Twitter article Monday afternoon. “He gets to appoint all Five board members.”
The revamped district would keep on to have large-ranging authority, together with the capability to levy property taxes and service fees, concern bonds and give services these types of as drinking water and sewer units, streets and parking amenities.
The monthly bill also presents a glimpse of why it would be complicated to go ahead with dissolving the district. As an instance, it addresses the dealing with of bonds issued by Reedy Creek and presently-present contracts.
The monthly bill reported it “is the intent of the Legislature to maintain the authority vital to crank out revenue and shell out excellent indebtedness.”
“No bond or other instrument of indebtedness beforehand issued by the district or any district task financed by bonds or other instruments of indebtedness shall be affected by this act,” the monthly bill mentioned. “The provisions of this act shall not impact existing contracts that the district entered into prior to the efficient date of this act. The provisions of this act shall be liberally construed in favor of preventing any gatherings of default or breach below excellent bonds or other devices of indebtedness or the district’s existing and lawfully legitimate contracts.”
The invoice is predicted to be heard Wednesday by the Property Condition Affairs Committee. If passed by the complete House, it would go to the Senate.
