New board for Disney’s special district attempts to regain power with Wednesday vote

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The board overseeing Walt Disney World’s special district met Wednesday as an ongoing fight for control continues.

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A bill was officially filled Tuesday in the state Senate meant to give the new board back some power they lost because of an agreement made by the old board.

All of this could lead to an even bigger battle in court.

A vote would have to happen first to undo the agreement the two entities had.

Watch: DeSantis: Legislature will revoke development agreement passed by former Reedy Creek board

A court battle over this issue will then be likely and it won’t be cheap for taxpayers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for Florida lawmakers to change the laws so that everyone in the state is subject to the same regulations.

This comes after Disney attempted to undermine the power of the new Reedy Creek board.

The governor said lawmakers will vote on a package next week that would unravel the deal, potentially setting the stage for a court fight that could be paid for by taxpayers.

Watch: Power play: Disney handicapped new Reedy Creek board before handing over control

“This is a larger issue than just kind of this particular special district. The larger issue is ultimately who governs in a republic,” DeSantis said.

While toll roads and hotel taxes are off the table, the state is interested in banning mask mandates in the district, reassessing all property values, and selling off Reedy Creek’s utilities to pay down its debt and get rid of it in the future.

Also, Florida lawmakers plan to give the Department of Agriculture the power to inspect Disney’s monorail and rides, but not expand that power to other big parks like SeaWorld and Universal.

Read: DeSantis seeks to control Disney with state oversight powers

The agriculture commissioner had this to say about the situation.

The new Reedy Creek board is set to meet at 9:30 a.m.

Channel 9 will have a crew at the meeting and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.

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