Gov. Ron DeSantis says a bill is in the works that would revoke the previous agreement made between the Reedy Creek Improvement Board and Disney before being taken over by the state.
As WMFE’s Danielle Prieur reports, DeSantis made the announcement just two days before the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board is expected to meet to take up the issue of control.
The governor says bills that will be proposed in the Florida House and Senate this week will seek to revoke development agreements between Disney and Reedy Creek.
DeSantis said this would allow the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board to develop the land around the theme parks, including in the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake as it sees fit.
"People have said maybe create a state park. Maybe try to do more amusement parks," said DeSantis. "Someone even said, like, maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I just think the possibilities are endless.”
Also under the proposed legislation, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson will be allowed to conduct ride inspections within Disney parks, including on the Monorail. Right now, Disney does its own inspections.
Simpson said this is a necessity in the event of accidents, or even causalities on rides.
“Thankfully, it doesn't happen that often in Florida, but when it does, we have a duty to inspect and decide whether a ride can safely reopen," said Simpson. "We do that across the board for amusement rides everywhere except large theme parks.”
Simpson’s team will not be able to conduct ride inspections within Universal and SeaWorld as they’re not part of the special district.
Copyright 2023 WMFE. To see more, visit WMFE. 9(MDA4MzM1MjM1MDEzMTg5NTk0MzNmOTQ5MA004))