Disney, Ron DeSantis, & the Failure of Good Governance

Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation that puts the State of Florida in charge of a reconstituted body known The Reedy Creek Improvement District. Positioned at a firehouse down the way from Disney Springs, the governor put into law this legislation. It occurs on the same day his new book came out, The Courage to Be Free, Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival. Now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, it still functions like a county government and takes care of things like roads, construction permits, fire services, building codes, water and waste collection, among other infrastructure concerns. But in this instance it will be led by individuals the governor has chosen to put in place rather than those elected by its district, namely the Walt Disney World Company. Why does this matter, and what are the consequences? Moreover, what messages is it sending to Disney, its fans, and importantly, the citizens of the state of Florida? We will look at how all this came to be, and importantly, why the State of Florida should probably not be in charge of Reedy Creek.

Note: I mention Walt Disney's concern about spending $100K on building out Walt Disney World. I meant to say $100 million.