Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has wasted no time signing the bill attempting to nullify Disney's February 8 Reedy Creek developer agreement.
DeSantis received the SB 1604 bill this afternoon after it passed the Florida house and senate and was given until May 20 to sign it into law.
The bill contains specific text to target Disney's final agreements with Reed Creek Improvement District, which you can see below.
(7) REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.—An independent
343 special district is precluded from complying with the terms of
344 any development agreement, or any other agreement for which the
345 development agreement serves in whole or part as consideration,
346 which is executed within 3 months preceding the effective date
347 of a law modifying the manner of selecting members of the
348 governing body of the independent special district from election
349 to appointment or from appointment to election. The newly
350 elected or appointed governing body of the independent special
351 district shall review within 4 months of taking office any
352 development agreement or any other agreement for which the
353 development agreement serves in whole or part as consideration
354 and shall, after such review, vote on whether to seek readoption
355 of such agreement. This subsection shall apply to any
356 development agreement that is in effect on, or is executed
357 after, the effective date of this section. This subsection
358 expires July 1, 2028, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
359 through reenactment by the Legislature.
Rep. Anna Eskamani reported on Twitter that the governor signed the bill just before 2pm. Unlike his previous bill signings regarding Reedy Creek, DeSantis did not hold a press conference to mark the event.
SB 1604 bill revokes Disney's final February 8 developer agreement and restrictive covenants with Reedy Creek. According to DeSantis, it is Florida law that the legislature or the governing body can revoke developer agreements.
It isn't clear how this DeSantis-backed bill will impact Disney's latest legal move, or how it fits in with legal efforts by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to enforce its position to nullify Disney's agreements with Reedy Creek.
The DeSantis-appointed board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said earlier this week that they will countersue Disney in an attempt to "uphold and enforce the board's April 26, 2023 legislative findings relating to the February 8, 2023 development agreement and declaration of restrictive covenants."
The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit in a Florida Federal Court last week, naming Florida Governor and the entire Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.
Disney claims in its lawsuit filed in a federal court yesterday that there has been "A targeted campaign of government retaliation-orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney's protected speech-now threatens Disney's business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights."
In the lawsuit, Disney is asking for the court to declare that the February 8 contracts remain in effect and enforceable.
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