Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, has said he will not consider changes to a special taxing district that is at the center of a feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company.
Renner told reporters Tuesday that he supported changes last year that renamed the Reedy Creek Improvement District as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and gave DeSantis the authority to appoint the district’s board.
The move effectively took control away from Disney, which was closely linked to the Reedy Creek district.
Read: Florida Lawmakers Seek Disney District Redo
“I think we’ve gone on the right path at least, I don’t want to go back,” Renner said.
Renner said that new district leaders have issued reports that support the move.
On Friday, the Orange County legislative delegation, dominated by Democrats, voted in favor of a bill seeking another redo of the district.
The Reedy Creek district was established by the state in the 1960s and was responsible for issues such as land use, fire protection, and sewer services on property that included Disney parks and resorts.
Read: Federal Judge Weighs Disney-DeSantis Fight In Florida
Disney and DeSantis began a feud in 2022 after the company criticized a state law that limits classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson told the legislative delegation on Friday that the district has become a “pawn” in a larger battle affecting the region, resulting in the departure of employees from “many of the (district) divisions that did things like the public works department.”
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