Disney a focus of Florida special legislative session next week

The Florida State Legislature will have a special session next week in which lawmakers are expected to see bills on the Reedy Creek Improvement District and other topics, according to a memo from the president of the state Senate. 

Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said in a Friday memo to all senators that she and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner have plans to “convene the Legislature in Special Session B, beginning on Monday.” The special session comes after coordination between the Florida State Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office, according to the memo.

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“The Senate will receive from the House a local bill to revise the governance and powers of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, while protecting local taxpayers from the District’s debts,” the memo said. 

The Reedy Creek Improvement District is a special tax district that affords Disney the ability to act with the same authority as a county government for an area that includes its Florida parks. It was created in 1967.

Crowds pack and fill Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida, on June 1, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA – August 19, 2015: an entrance of Walt Disney World Resort. Some cars are visible. (iStock / iStock)

Passidomo said she would refer the local bill on the Reedy Creek Improvement District and two others to the Committee on Rules using the “discretion permitted under our Rules.” In the Senate, they will be presented by State Sen. Travis Hutson. 

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Some of the other bills that are expected in the special session deal with hurricane relief funding, illegal immigration and election-related crime. 

“We will receive the local bills as well as legislation related to intercollegiate athletics from the House later in the week,” Passidomo’s memo said. “Tentatively, we would plan to hear bills coming from the House in the Committee on Rules on Friday morning.”

Back in April 2022, the Florida State Legislature passed and DeSantis signed legislation to put an end to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, with the dissolution slated to go into effect in summer 2023. 

Reedy Creek Improvement District Fire Department Station 4, on Dec. 8, 2021. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Florida and a then Bob Chapek-run Disney came into conflict early last year in connection to the company’s opposition to DeSantis’ signing of a law that prevents the teaching of sexual orientation in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. Bob Iger has helmed the entertainment giant since November.

FOX Business reached out to the Walt Disney Company for comment. 

Ken Martin contributed to this report.