Disney World punished after opposing LGBTQ Bill

The “most magical place on earth” has been stripped of special privileges after publicly opposing a controversial law in Florida.

Disney World has been stripped of its status as an ‘independent special district’ as politicians seek to punish its parent company for criticising the controversial “Don't Say Gay” law.

The Florida Senate passed a bill on Wednesday to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District that Walt Disney World in Central Florida uses to operate as its own municipality.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, whose county covers Walt Disney World, said dissolving the special district would see a “catastrophic” strain on taxpayers who would foot the bill for some the theme park’s services.

DisneyWorld has been stripped of it’s status as an ‘independant special district’. Picture: Octavio Jones, Getty Images.

The elimination of the Reedy Creek Improvement District comes after Disney said in a statement in late March a bill — known by some as the as the “Don't Say Gay” bill — should “be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts”.

The bill limits “classroom instruction” on “sexual orientation or gender identity”.

It says such instruction “may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards”. It does not specify when such instruction would be considered age-appropriate.

Disney’s opposition statement came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits classroom lessons to discuss “sexual orientation or gender identity” up until the third grade.

Taxpayers will most likely foot the bill for the theme park after the law is put into practice. Picture: Matt Stroshane

Hows does Disney World operate?

Walt Disney World, located in Central Florida, essentially governs itself and functions as its own city by having the same authority and responsibilities as a county government, thanks to a special taxing district called Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The district was established by the state legislature in 1967 when the resort was being constructed and currently oversees 25,000 acres of land in total.

The Reedy Creek Improvement district allows the Walt Disney company to govern itself within the outer limits of the Orange and Osceola counties by managing it’s own fire and department services, roads and construction projects with little oversight from government.

However, the future of the theme park is unclear, as Florida lawmakers voted to abolish the special district effective June 1, 2023.

The removal of the district would mean the employees and infrastructure within Reedy Creek, including the theme park, would become the responsibility of Orange and Osceola counties.

The Orange County will be forced to take on an additional $163million in costs per year Picture: Octavio Jones Getty Images

What is the Parental Rights in Education Act about?

Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, otherwise known as the “Don’t Say Gay” act was signed into law at the end of March by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

The law prohibits classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation for kindergarteners through to third grade students in a bid to protect parental rights on what and when their children learn about the topics.

“Parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school, and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualise their kids as young as 5 years old,” Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement.

“Parents’ rights have been increasingly under assault around the nation, but in Florida we stand up for the rights of parents and the fundamental role they play in the education of their children.”

LGBTQ rights advocates have strongly opposed the law, believing it is intended to oppress LGBTQ people.

Disney World is set for a big change. Picture: Alex Menendez Getty Images

How did Disney react to the Parental Rights in Education Act Act?

Disney and its CEO Bob Chapek initially came under fire for the company’s lack of public response to the ‘Don't Say Gay’ Act.

A group of LGBTQ Disney employees and allies soon organised a series of walk outs in response to the billion dollar entertainment company’s response.

However, the company later issued a statement condemning the bill and later paused their political donations to Florida.

“Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organisations working to achieve that,” Disney said in a statement.

“We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”

The Walt Disney Company’s statement set off Florida lawmakers to ultimately set out to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

How will this impact thosme living near Disney World?

Orange and Osceola counties will likely have to now have to pay for all the government-relayed services the Walt Disney company currently pays for – including law enforcement, emergency services and general maintenance.

The abolishment of Reedy Creek would put a burden on taxpayers to foot the bill for services previously taken care of by Disney.

According to Forbes, the two counties will most likely assume Reedy Creek’s debts which total nearly $1 billion.

Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph tweeted that the county and it’s tax payers will be forced to “take on $163 million in costs per year” once the district is removed.