Ron DeSantis orders inspector general to see if Disney execs were personally involved with making RCID loophole

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has reportedly asked his top investigator to ascertain how a Disney-backed board intercepted his plan to take control of the agency governing the land around Walt Disney World in Orlando.

DeSantis asked the state’s inspector general to investigate whether Disney’s executives, staff, or agents played any part in the operation.

In February, DeSantis replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), which was  a self-governing agency in charge of Disney’s land, with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) and five new board members to govern the area.

DeSantis has had disagreements with Disney after they hit out at his The Parental Rights in Education Act (HB 1557), which is also known as “Don’t Say Gay.” 

The new board would have had the power to limit Disney’s development around Disney World, however only day before state lawmakers approved the change, the old Reedy Creek Improvement District board quietly passed an agreement making the new overseers redundant.

The agreement will allow Disney to build to the maximum density without having to request approval, restricts the new board from using symbols such as Mickey Mouse, and is set to expire “twenty-one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England.”

In a letter dated Monday, DeSantis called on Inspector General Melinda Miguel to look into the agreement, which he said was “designed to usurp the authority of the CFTOD board.”

DeSantis wrote in the letter that the “collusive and self-dealing arrangements aim to nullify the recently passed legislation, undercut Florida’s legislative process, and defy the will of Floridians.” 

He wants the inspector general’s review into RCID’s loophole to look into the region’s “adherence” to Florida civil and criminal laws, as well as the validity of RCID’s former board.