UPDATE 2 pm: DeSantis signed SB 1604 the same day it hit his desk, wasting no time at all to nullify the developer agreements put into place by the previous board on February 8, 2023.
Late Thursday afternoon, the Republican-controlled Florida Senate voted in favor of giving the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board the authority to cancel development agreements established by the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID).
The bill will now go to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who will likely sign off on it, considering he’s the one who called for the agreements to be voided.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, language contained in SB 1604 land use bill says the “newly appointed independent special district doesn’t have to comply with any agreements or contracts approved up to three months before the effective date of ‘a law modifying the manner of selecting members of the governing body of the independent special district ….’”
While there is no mention of the new board or the old RCID in the bill, sponsor Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, acknowledged that [RCID] was its target during a committee hearing last month.
Without any discussion, the Senate voted 27-13 to approve the measure, with Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, joining all 12 Democrats in voting against it.
Last week, The Walt Disney Company filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis and the state, claiming that it has been politically targeted due to its opposition of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law banning teaching kids in grades K-12 about sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools.
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