LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' action to dissolve Disney’s special district in Florida seems to be taking more twists than a Disney ride.
Questions are now being raised about undoing what Disney created, who will pay, and if it is even legal.
Inside and outside the Magic Kingdom, the doubts are growing.
"I still don’t think that you can unravel a government that’s been there for 50 years," said Aaron Goldberg, who's written four books about Disney and spoke with WPTV by Zoom from Walt Disney World about Disney, Reedy Creek, and the governor.
"I'm here now and folks are here and of course it’s a topic I hear people talking about as I'm out eating. It’s a hot topic issue," Goldberg said.
A hot topic and one that has many financial experts wondering if it is realistic and even legal.
"The law is valid until the court steps in and says the law is invalid," said Jacob Schumer, a municipal attorney in Florida who has looked into how the untangling of Reedy Creek can even happen, a massive district that operates like a small city with a nine-figure budget.
Disney executives have apparently expressed doubts about the governor’s plan to shareholders, which could hit two Florida counties with massive debt.
The governor’s press secretary posted on Twitter that a new plan is coming, Disney will pay its share of taxes, and it won’t raise taxes on Floridians.
Experts like Schumer don’t see it working.
"The state of Florida cannot mess with Reedy Creek. In fact, the law that created Reedy Creek actually specifically says that Florida promises never to alter or abridge Reedy Creek’s powers, especially the taxing power."
Disney, Schumer said, is way too entrenched in Florida. Making it go away, many believe, may require a good deal of financial magic.
