94-403: Disney Castle is a generic term for the castles at the center of several Disney theme parks . Disney Castle may refer to: Disney Experiences Disney Experiences , commonly known as Disney Parks , is one of the three major divisions of The Walt Disney Company . It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of Walt Disney World . Led by Josh D'Amaro ,
188-476: A Disneyland resort in Shanghai 's Pudong district. The resort opened on June 16, 2016. California Adventure completed its overhaul in 2012 adding two new lands: Cars Land and Buena Vista Street . The overhaul also included a re-themed of several attractions plus a pair of classic dark rides. In July 2017, it was announced that Paradise Pier land would be replaced by Pixar Pier, with four neighborhoods, and
282-579: A county government . The current district was created on February 27, 2023, after the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 9B to supersede the Reedy Creek Improvement Act , passed in 1967 at the behest of Walt Disney and his namesake media company during the planning stages of Walt Disney World. A major selling point in lobbying the Florida government to establish the original RCID
376-525: A 15-year marketing contract on January 25: Coca-Cola products would be exclusive in Disney theme parks, and Coca-Cola would use some Disney characters in their ads. On March 16, 1990, Attractions president Nunis announced a 25-year plan for a 4,400-acre (1,800 ha) development in Osceola, Florida , with homes, shopping malls and industrial buildings. In 1990, the possibility of a West Coast version of Epcot Center
470-1003: A Japanese theme park. Tokyo Disneyland opened on April 15, 1983 on 200 acres (80 ha) in Urayasu, Chiba , Japan. With the retirement of Donn Tatum as Walt Disney Productions' Chairman and CEO on June 3, 1980, three divisions were formed, including the Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division, of which Disney Legend, Dick Nunis was named division president. Disneyland started using Disney Dollars on May 5, 1987, while Walt Disney World parks started with Epcot on October 2. A renegotiated Disneyland Japan royalty agreement in April 1988 by Chief Financial Officer Gary L. Wilson netted Disney US$ 723 million in cash in exchange for lower royalty payments. The steam railroad and monorail at Disneyland were purchased from Retlaw Enterprises , formerly WED Enterprises, in 1982. Bear Country
564-544: A U.S. traveling attraction, which premiered in September 1996. The fair was poorly attended and was pulled after a few stops. Disney Entertainment Projects (Asia Pacific) Inc., a new Disney Asian Pacific subsidiary, selected a renamed fair called DisneyFest as its first project, taking it to Singapore to open there on October 30, 1997. In November 1995, Disney announced the building of Tokyo DisneySea , to be owned by Oriental along with Tokyo Disneyland. Oriental and Disney signed
658-591: A building in Lake Buena Vista, east of Disney Springs. The District runs the following services, primarily serving Disney: Disney provides transportation for guests and employees in the form of buses, ferries, and monorails , under the name Disney Transport . In addition, several Lynx public bus routes enter the District, with half-hour service between the Transportation and Ticket Center (and backstage areas at
752-835: A corner of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, the Walt Disney World Speedway opened on November 28, 1995. In 1996, the Disney Institute opened on February 9, and Disney's BoardWalk opened on July 1. The first of the World of Disney stores opened in the Disney Village Marketplace on October 3. The Downtown Disney district opened in November 1997, combining Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island. A fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom , opened at Disney World
846-452: A cost of $ 400 million. The Magic Kingdom had six themed lands: Main Street , Adventureland , Fantasyland , Frontierland, Liberty Square , and Tomorrowland. Additionally, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort campground and two hotels, Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort , also opened. Disneyland expanded in 1972 with a seventh themed land, Bear Country , replacing
940-625: A day after DeSantis replaced two Disney critics on the CFTOD with two Disney supporters and two weeks after The Parental Rights in Education Act was largely overturned by a court. After the success of Disneyland in California, Walt Disney began planning a second park on the East Coast. He disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland, and wanted control of a much larger area of land for
1034-495: A design deal in March 1953 with WED Enterprises (WED) , Walt 's personal corporation, which then included what would now be called Walt Disney Imagineering . With the WED concept designs and prospectus for Disneylandia, Roy Disney in September 1953 met with TV networks in a deal for Disney-produced TV show and Disneyland investment. American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres (AB-PT) agreed to
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#17328524022291128-482: A development agreement. This enacted restrictive covenants to limit the Improvement District's governing power over Disney properties, which include Walt Disney World . According to Peri, "This essentially makes Disney the government. This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure." The agreement stated that, if
1222-532: A first-come order. Disney was criticized for the move, with a Republican gubernatorial candidate filing a lawsuit to stop the RCID from using the funds. Also, one state legislator moved to limit the RCID's ability to apply for the program. In 1993, the land that eventually became the Disney-controlled town of Celebration, Florida —which was built with many of Walt Disney 's original ideas that had since evolved into
1316-461: A form of New Urbanism —was deannexed from Bay Lake and the District. This was done to keep its residents from having power over Disney by providing for separate administration of the areas. Celebration lies on unincorporated land within Osceola County , with a thin strip of still-incorporated land separating it from the rest of the county. This strip of land contains canals and other land used by
1410-427: A governor's radical-right political agenda". The bill which abolished the district did not have any provisions for the logistics or debt. Under its enabling act, the state vowed to bondholders that it wouldn't impair the ability of Reedy Creek to service its debt. By dissolving the district, the debt would have been subsumed by Orange and Osceola Counties. On May 16, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that he
1504-613: A joint venture, Hong Kong International Theme Parks Ltd., between the Hong Kong Government and Disney Resorts. The Disney Wonder cruise ship began operation on August 15. Disney World's Discovery Island was closed on April 8, 1999. Walt Disney Attractions, LLC changed its name to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, LLC on April 14, 2000, then to Disney Destinations, LLC on April 25, 2006. Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort opened on September 4, 2001. The Walt Disney Company in selling its Japanese and US chains decided to keep
1598-403: A lawsuit against DeSantis. Federal Judge Allen Winsor ruled in favor of DeSantis on January 31, 2024, and Disney appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals . On March 27, 2024, Disney settled its state court lawsuits with CFTOD and, per the agreement, put the appeal of their federal lawsuit on hold while the company negotiates a new development agreement with CFTOD. The settlement came
1692-523: A licensing agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), giving Disney the right to use the MGM name, logo and movie library for this third park. Construction of the Disney-MGM Studios theme park began in 1986. Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989, along with a Pleasure Island entertainment area; its second water park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon , opened on June 1. In 1983, Walt Disney World Village's name
1786-458: A perpetual term is deemed invalid, a royal lives clause would be used in its place: namely, the agreement "shall continue until twenty-one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III , king of England, living as of the date of this agreement." Before the passage of House Bill 9 in 2023 (HB 9 2023), the Board of Supervisors was elected by the landowners of
1880-598: A political position, it violated the company's free speech rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution . Another argument is that the dissolution violates the contract the state of Florida made with bondholders not to alter or limit the powers of the district until all bonds were paid off, making the dissolution unconstitutional under the Contract Clause . Under Florida law, when
1974-611: A resort at Ko Olina Resort & Marina in Kapolei, Hawaii , featuring both a hotel and Disney Vacation Club timeshare units. The 800-unit property, named Aulani , opened in 2011 and joined the other resorts not associated with a theme park, such as Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina. With the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration starting on October 1, 2000, sanctioned Disney pin trading
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#17328524022292068-519: A self-produced live arena show starting in 1969. Small World and its famous song lasted two years at the fair; it was then moved to Disneyland as an expanded major attraction in 1966 and later duplicated in the other Disney theme parks. In 1965, Walt Disney won a bid with the US Forest Service to develop Mineral King as a ski resort. The Sierra Club sued in June 1969 to stop the development, which
2162-504: A special district government, like the Reedy Creek Improvement District, is dissolved, the dissolution transfers "title to all property owned by the preexisting special district government to the local general-purpose government, which shall also assume all indebtedness of the preexisting special district." In 1866, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "once a local government issues a bond based on an authorized taxing power,
2256-449: A supervisor. The members appointed to the board following changes to the district in 2023, subject to Senate confirmation, are as follows: Controversy arose after the nominations, as all five proposed members are allies of Ron DeSantis , have donated to his political campaigns, or are active in other right-wing circles. Ziegler founded Moms for Liberty , a conservative group promoting "anti- woke " school policies and board members, and
2350-523: A tax increase in cities and counties across Florida, which could endanger governor Ron DeSantis ' nomination for the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election . Concerns over possible debt transfer to counties, and taxpayers in Orange and Osceola Counties having to start paying for some Disney World services such as police, fire protection and road maintenance, led the legislature to mostly revert
2444-569: A three land expansion: Mystic Point , Grizzly Gulch , and Toy Story Land . In June 2005, Disney Magic made the first cruise outside of the Caribbean, by moving its port for the summer to Los Angeles with a Mexican Riviera schedule. Disney Cruise Line ordered a new 2 ships class from Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany by February 22, 2007. The Magic in May 2007 transferred its homeport to Barcelona, Spain, for
2538-529: A trip to Florida for final site selection. In 1962, Disney Productions purchased Celebrity Sports Center (opened on September 17, 1960, in Denver, Colorado) from its owners, including Walt Disney, Art Linkletter , and John Payne , to use as a staff training center for its second resort. In 1963, Roy made plans to buy from 5,000 to 10,000 acres (2,000 to 4,000 ha), which was carried out in 1964, amassing 27,443 acres (11,106 ha) by October 1965 . Plans for
2632-423: Is looking into making the government take control of the special district but promised that local and state tax payers would not be paying for Reedy Creek's outstanding debt. In 2023, DeSantis announced he would rename the district to Central Florida Tourism Oversight District instead of dissolving it, and replace five-board members which had been selected by Disney, with a new board with five members hand-picked by
2726-713: Is now The Walt Disney Company , petitioned the Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit , which served Orange County, Florida , for the creation of the Reedy Creek Drainage District under Chapter 298 of the Florida Statutes . After a period during which some minor landowners within the boundaries opted out, the Drainage District was incorporated on May 13, 1966, as a public corporation. Among
2820-827: Is renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios in January 2008. Pleasure Island 's core remaining six nightclubs were closed down in late 2008 to change the area to match the family friendly make-up of the other two sections of Downtown Disney at Disney World. Walt Disney Studios Park opened March 16, 2002, as the second theme park at the renamed Disneyland Resort Paris . The first park was renamed Disneyland Park (DLP). DLP Paris opened in August 2000 Toy Story Playland with three attractions. Construction on Hong Kong Disneyland began on January 12, 2003, then opened September 12, 2005. Groundbreaking occurred at Hong Kong Disneyland in December 2009 for
2914-467: The Attorney General of Florida has issued an opinion stating that this includes state requirements for developments of regional impact (DRIs). In January 1990, the RCID was granted a $ 57-million allocation of tax-free state bonds over an agency with plans for a low-income housing development and all additional government applicants in a six-county region, as the state distributed the bond proceeds on
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3008-666: The Disney Stores in Europe, along with the store in Manhattan, which was converted into a World of Disney store run by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2004. Downtown Disney opened at the Disneyland Resort on January 12, 2001, between Disneyland and the future California Adventure. Disney California Adventure opened at the Disneyland Resort on February 8, 2001, with three major areas: Paradise Pier, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and
3102-680: The Disney Wilderness Preserve . The Disney Inn hotel was leased starting February 1, 1994, by the US Army, then purchased on January 12, 1996, and later renamed Shades of Green. Planet Hollywood opened a location in Pleasure Island on December 17, 1994. The third water park at Walt Disney World, Disney's Blizzard Beach , opened on April 1, 1995. The Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland was completely refurbished and reopened in June 1995. Taking up
3196-518: The Florida Senate passed Senate Bill 4C (SB 4C) with a 23–16 vote that would abolish the special taxing district. If it became law, the bill would dissolve any independent special district in Florida established prior to November 5, 1968, including the RCID; the dissolution would take effect June 1, 2023. On April 21, 2022, the bill was passed by the Florida House by a 70–38 vote. DeSantis signed
3290-582: The Magic Kingdom ) and Downtown Orlando and Kissimmee , and once-a-day service to more points, intended mainly for cleaning staff. Half-hourly service is provided, via Lynx, to Orlando International Airport (MCO). The Reedy Creek Fire Department (RCFD) was created in 1968 to provide fire suppression for RCID. Today, RCFD provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, 911 communications, fire inspections, technical rescue services, and hazardous materials mitigation. EMS makes up approximately 85 percent of
3384-822: The Queen Mary and Spruce Goose tourist attractions. In March 1988, Disney purchased Industrial Equity's half of Wrather Corporation. In 1985, Premier Cruise Line became the licensed partner cruise line with Disney. This allowed Disney characters on their ships and combined cruise, hotel, and theme park packages. The Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division was incorporated as Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. on August 10, 1989. In January 1990, Disney CEO Eisner announced plans to expand both Disneyland (by 20% in 10 years) and Walt Disney World (WDW). The plan would have WDW add another theme park and 16 new attractions in Disney-MGM Studios. Disney and The Coca-Cola Company agreed to
3478-533: The Reedy Creek Improvement District ( RCID ), is the governing jurisdiction and special taxing district for the land of Walt Disney World Resort . It includes 39.06 sq mi (101.2 km ) within Orange and Osceola counties in Florida, encompassing the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista as well as unincorporated land. It acts with most of the same authority and responsibility as
3572-405: The 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) called for a 150-acre (61 ha) amusement park, a campground, a golf course, 2 million square feet (190,000 m ) of office/commercial space, and 2500 homes. With projections indicating that the park would operate at a loss and with opposition in the press, Disney canceled the project on September 15, 1994. Walt Disney Imagineering created Disney Fair ,
3666-455: The Bay Lake city limits and the Magic Kingdom, and then meanders south through Disney property, passing between Disney's Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach . It crosses Interstate 4 and exits Disney property west of Celebration and runs mostly through undeveloped territory east of Haines City . It empties into Lake Russell, and continues flowing southward into Cypress Lake, which is connected to
3760-575: The Disney company and other members of the Florida state legislature was underway to keep the main Reedy Creek Improvement District agreement, since the District abolition law is yet to take effect. Such compromise was reportedly being drafted especially because former Disney CEO Bob Chapek , who openly opposed the Parental Rights in Education law , was fired, and the abolition of the District would represent
3854-510: The DisneySea licensing agreement in November 1997; the theme park was scheduled to open in 2001 at a cost of $ 2.6 billion. In December 1998, Walt Disney Attractions added Disneyland Paris , Disney Regional Entertainment and Walt Disney Imagineering to its portfolio, which already held Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. Chairman Dick Nunis retired at the same time. On October 31, 1999, Walt Disney Attractions, Inc.
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3948-600: The Disneyland, Inc. investment. Joining AB-PT as Disneyland investors were Walt Disney Productions (WDP), Western Publishing and Walt Disney . Walt Disney Productions had the option to repurchase the Walt Disney, WED and Western Publishing shares (31%) by May 1, 1959, for $ 562,500. With a need for the Disneyland Hotel nearby and no funding available for Disney to build it, Walt Disney approached Jack Wrather to build
4042-521: The District, who receive one vote per acre of land. As the majority landowner in Reedy Creek, The Walt Disney Company essentially handpicked the members of the Board. Under this model, each member owned an undeveloped five-acre (2.0 ha) lot of land within the District—the only land in the District not technically controlled by Disney or used for public road purposes. The District headquarters are in
4136-471: The District. On March 30, 2022, State Representative Spencer Roach tweeted that Florida legislators had met twice within the past week to discuss the possibility of repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement Act and stripping Disney of its "special privileges" in the state. Roach and Florida governor Ron DeSantis later criticized Disney for the "special perks" the company enjoyed through use of
4230-489: The Florida project that would eventually become Walt Disney World were announced to the public in November 1965. Legislation forming the Reedy Creek Improvement District , the Reedy Creek Improvement Act , was signed into law by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967, allowing Disney to build the infrastructure for the second park. Ground breaking followed for the future Reedy Creek park on May 30. In Roy O. Disney's last act as CEO in 1968, he officially named
4324-591: The Golden State. In California Adventure on October 6, 2002, A Bug's Land area opened. Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo announced at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California on September 12, 2009, that Walt Disney World's Fantasyland would be overhauled and increased in size by 2013. A $ 1 billion expansion/renovation of Disney California Adventure was announced in 2007 to be completed by 2012. River Country water park closed on November 2, 2001. Disney-MGM Studios
4418-518: The Governor and confirmed by the Florida State Senate , and some parts of the district's authority would be removed, such as the power to potentially construct a nuclear power plant, airport, and stadium. Governor DeSantis signed the bill on February 27. Reedy Creek is a natural waterway whose flow, drainage, and destination have been altered over the years by human development. It begins west of
4512-491: The Improvement District and Cities were created to serve "the needs of those residing there", because the company needed its own government to "clarify the District's authority to [provide services] within the District's limits", and because of the public nature of the planned development. The original city boundaries did not cover the whole Improvement District; they may have been intended as the areas where communities would be built for residential use. To maintain full control of
4606-706: The Indian Village of Frontierland , and later renamed Critter Country. In 1979, the Disneyland crafts and maintenance union workers went on strike for 15 days, at first, rejecting and then accepting the park's contract. Space Mountain opens at Disneyland in 1977. Two more hotels opened in 1973 at Walt Disney World: the Golf Resort and the Gold Resort; Disney opened the Buena Vista Club golf club in Lake Buena Vista on November 22, 1974 . Lake Buena Vista Village ,
4700-532: The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. The district is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Each supervisor is appointed by the Governor of Florida and confirmed by the Florida Senate. Supervisors serve for terms of four years, and may serve for up to three consecutive terms. Any individual currently or within the past three years employed by a theme park or entertainment company is prohibited from serving as
4794-530: The Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando , that the Disney company abused its powers by remaining in complete control of the District. In 1968, the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was held by the Supreme Court of Florida not to violate any provision of the state constitution . As the law, in part, declares that the District is exempt from all state land use regulation laws "now or hereafter enacted,"
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#17328524022294888-473: The Orlando chapter of the conservative Federalist Society , and Brian Aungst Jr. is a conservative Pinellas County attorney previously appointed to the 6th Circuit judicial nominating commission. Over the course of two public meetings, with the second on the day before the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District was to take control, The Walt Disney Company and the Reedy Creek Improvement District signed
4982-423: The RCID and other special districts formed before November 5, 1968, an act that some lawmakers said was retaliation for Disney's opposition to the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act , dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by its critics. The law would have taken effect in June 2023, but it was unclear what would happen to the $ 1 billion in bond liabilities held by the RCID. On February 9 and 10, 2023,
5076-421: The RCID. Roach said there had been previous attempts to eliminate the district. A bill analysis and fiscal impact statement for the bill was created on April 19, 2022, by Senator Jennifer Bradley . However, this analysis was unable to determine the impact the bill would have on either the residents served by the special district, or the local governments that would absorb the district's debts. On April 20, 2022,
5170-546: The Walt Disney World monorail line was extended to EPCOT Center from the Transportation and Ticket Center. The EPCOT Center theme park opened on October 1, 1982, at a building cost of US$ 1.2 billion , with two areas, Future World and World Showcase . Plans for a Hollywood-style theme park were announced in April 1985 for the Walt Disney World resort at a project cost of US$ 300 million. In April 1985, Disney signed
5264-481: The authority of a governmental body, but was not subject to the constraints of a governmental body. That changed under the 2023 act, which gave the governor of Florida the authority to name its board members, replacing the original five-member Board of Supervisors controlled by the Walt Disney Company, the majority landowner of the District. In April 2022, the Florida Legislature passed a law to disestablish
5358-406: The bill into law the following day. Some members of the Florida Legislature as well as political commentators said the bill was likely retaliation for Disney announcing its opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act , dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay bill". Representative Dotie Joseph dubbed SB 4C "un-American" adding that it was "[p]unishing a company for daring to speak against
5452-448: The changes. On February 9 and 10, 2023, the Florida State House and Senate, respectively, passed bills in a special session allowing the special tax district to remain, as well as leaving the ability for Disney to issue tax-exempt bonds and approve development plans without scrutiny from certain local regulators in place. Disney would no longer be able to appoint the five members of the tax district's board, which would instead be appointed by
5546-427: The company's theme parks hosted over 157.3 million guests, making Disney Parks the world's most visited theme park company worldwide, with United Kingdom-based Merlin Entertainments coming in second at 67 million guests. It is Disney's largest business segment by employee headcount, with approximately 130,000 of the company's 180,000 employees as of 2015. In March 2018, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media
5640-461: The creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which would have almost total autonomy within its borders. Residents of Orange and Osceola counties did not need to pay any taxes unless they were residents of the district. Services like land use regulation and planning, building codes, surface water control, drainage, waste treatment, utilities, roads, bridges, fire protection, emergency medical services, and environmental services were overseen by
5734-424: The district, it was important for Disney to limit the voting rights of the inhabitants, rights which were only meant to include landowners owning more than one-half acre. Since Disney owned most of the land, the residents would simply be renting their homes. But after the 1968 Avery v. Midland County case, Disney feared that they would have to eventually give everyone living inside the district voting rights, and so
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#17328524022295828-490: The district. The only areas where the district had to submit to the county and state would be property taxes and elevator inspections. The planned EPCOT city was also emphasized in this lobbying effort. On May 12, 1967, Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. signed the Reedy Creek Improvement Act , adding the following Florida statutes to implement Disney's plans: According to a press conference held in Winter Park, Florida on February 2, 1967, by Disney Vice President Donn Tatum ,
5922-463: The district. These company names are listed on the upper story windows of what is now the Main Street USA section of Walt Disney World , including Compass East Corporation; Latin-American Development and Management Corporation; Ayefour Corporation (named for nearby I-4 ); Tomahawk Properties, Incorporated; Reedy Creek Ranch, Incorporated; and Bay Lake Properties, Incorporated. On March 11, 1966, these landowners, all fully owned subsidiaries of what
6016-444: The formation of its cruise line. The Disney Cruise Line launched with the Disney Magic ship in 1998 along with its exclusive resort island port of Castaway Cay. Disney reportedly had plans to build a park named Disney's America . The park was to have been located in Haymarket, Virginia ; 2,300 acres (930 ha) of property were purchased from Exxon in 1993. The history-themed park was announced on November 11, 1993. The plans for
6110-437: The former jurisdiction of the RCID. A tax collector for Orange County claimed the RCID's abolition would increase costs for taxpayers. Florida Senate Democratic member Gary Farmer also highlighted concerns that the dissolution would transfer over $ 1 billion in bond liabilities to all Florida taxpayers. Analysts expected legal challenges to the dissolution. One argument was that because the law targeted Disney in retaliation for
6204-663: The governor. This was approved by the Florida state legislature on February 9 and 10, 2023. The bill was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on February 27. The bill was passed after two days of discussions and without a fiscal impact analysis. This led to debates about the bill's effects on taxes and bond debt . Randy Fine , the Republican House sponsor of the bill, claimed a different type of district could be formed that would not move additional costs to taxpayers. Disney already pays property taxes to Orange and Osceola counties. The bill would not increase these counties' revenues but would force both counties to increase services within
6298-624: The hotel who agreed. Disneyland , changed from Disneylandia, was announced in April 1954 by Walt to be opened in July 1955 . On July 17, 1955 , the Disneyland park opened with five themed "lands" containing eighteen attractions with double the expected guests. WED owned Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad opened, too. On June 29, 1957, Disney Production exercised its options to purchase all but AB-PT's common stock outstanding. This allowed WDP to consolidate DLI into its 1957 annual accounting statements adding four months' worth of net profits, $ 511K. In June 1960, Walt Disney Productions completed
6392-415: The lines' first summer Mediterranean itinerary then returned to its permanent port in September. The Chicago DisneyQuest location was closed in September 2001. Disney Parks started the Adventures by Disney tour vacation business in 2005. Disney entered a float, "The Most Magical Celebration on Earth", into the 2006 Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade . In October 2007, Disney announced plans to build
6486-460: The new project. He flew over the Orlando -area site, and many other potential sites, in November 1963. Seeing the well-developed network of roads, including the planned Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike , with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International Airport ) to the east, he selected a centrally located site near Bay Lake . He used multiple shell companies to buy up land, at very low prices, that eventually would be included within
6580-418: The park's projected high cost. That park was then replaced by plans for the California Adventure park, hotels, and a retail district. At Walt Disney World, Mickey's Birthdayland closed on April 22, 1991, then reopened on May 26 as Mickey's Starland. In order to expand Disney World on wetland, on April 23, 1993, the company agreed to form an 8,500-acre (3,400 ha) wilderness preserve in Florida, known as
6674-419: The population was restricted to the two municipalities Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. After Walt Disney died in 1966, the Disney company board decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a city, and abandoned many of his ideas for Progress City. The planned residential areas that Walt originally advocated for were never built. Richard Foglesong would later argue in his 2003 book, Married to
6768-496: The powers of a Drainage District were the power to condemn and acquire property outside its boundaries "for the public use". It used this power at least once to obtain land for Canal C-1 (Bonnet Creek) through land that is now being developed as the Bonnet Creek Resort , a non-Disney resort. Walt Disney knew that his plans for the land would be easier to carry out with more independence. Among his ideas for his Florida project
6862-487: The purchase of AB-PT's share of the company for nearly $ 7.5 million and its TV contract, and the theme park became a fully owned subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions. Beginning in 1958 with the contracting of Economics Research Associates (ERA) to find a location for another Disney resort, Disney Productions moved beyond a single park. ERA recommended Florida; another study in 1961 named Ocala or Orlando in Florida as possible locations. In November 1963 , Walt Disney made
6956-590: The remainder not in Pixar Pier would be replaced by Paradise Park. Pixar Pier opened on June 23, 2018. Star Wars : Galaxy's Edge , a 14-acre (5.7 ha) themed land for both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios announced at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015. Construction began at both locations on April 14, 2016. The lands at both parks opened in 2019. Reedy Creek Improvement District The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District ( CFTOD ), formerly
7050-576: The second park Walt Disney World . Disneyland International was incorporated on November 20, 1961. The next year, The Oriental Land Company contacted Disney about building a theme park. In 1959, the WED-owned Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System began operations at Disneyland. The first Audio-Animatronic attraction, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room , opened at Disneyland in 1963. Disneyland's first new themed land, New Orleans Square, opened in 1966 . Tomorrowland
7144-734: The shopping area, opened on March 22, 1975 and was renamed Walt Disney World Village in 1977. Celebrity Sports Center, Disney World's training center, was sold on March 29, 1979. At Walt Disney World, the Treasure Island nature preserve pens opened on April 8, 1974, renamed Discovery Island in 1977. On July 1, 1975 , the WEDway PeopleMover opened in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland. The first water park, River Country , opened on June 20, 1976 at Disney World. EPCOT Center's groundbreaking occurred at Walt Disney World in May 1979. In 1979, Oriental Land and Disney agreed to build
7238-542: The state is contract-bound and cannot eliminate the taxing power supporting the bond". Local taxpayers did file suit in federal court, but this was dismissed in May 2022 for lack of standing for the First Amendment issue, and lack of demonstrated injury to the taxpayers. It was refiled in state court the same month. On December 2, 2022, the Financial Times reported that a deal between Representative Randy Fine ,
7332-481: The state legislature voted to revert most of the changes, replace the RCID board's five Disney-selected members with five members appointed by the Governor with confirmation by the Florida State Senate , and remove parts of the district's authority, such as the power to construct a nuclear power plant, airport, and stadium. The district's name was changed the day the bill was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on February 27, 2023. On April 26, 2023, Disney filed
7426-661: The week of April 20, 1998. The first Disney Vacation Club Resorts , Vacation Club Resort, opened on October 1, 1991, and was renamed Disney's Old Key West Resort in January 1996. These vacation club hotels were operated by Disney Vacation Developments, Inc. as vacation timeshares . The first off-resort vacation club hotel was Vacation Club Resort, which opened on October 1, 1995, in Vero Beach, Florida . In 1993, Premier Cruises discontinued its partnership with Disney for one with Warner Bros. After failing to reach agreements with Carnival or Royal Caribbean , Disney announced in 1994
7520-465: Was Walt Disney's proposal of the " Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow " (EPCOT), a real planned community intended to serve as a testbed for new city-living innovations. However, the company eventually abandoned Walt Disney's concepts for the experimental city, primarily only building a resort similar to its other parks. The Reedy Creek Improvement District managed by the Disney Company had
7614-602: Was a primary proponent of the Parental Rights in Education Act. Her husband was elected to lead the Republican Party of Florida shortly before the governance changes to the district went into effect. Martin Garcia, the proposed new chairperson of the board, donated $ 50,000 to DeSantis' political action committee , and according to Forbes , "was also named in court testimony as having been consulted when DeSantis' administration
7708-483: Was changed to the Disney Village Marketplace. A new themed area, Mickey's Birthdayland, opened in the Magic Kingdom near Fantasyland on June 18, 1988. In 1987, Disney and Ron Brierley 's Industrial Equity (Pacific) Ltd., already a 28% owner of the Wrather Corporation , agreed to purchase the remaining Wrather Corporation stock with a 50% share each. Wrather Corporation owned the Disneyland Hotel and operated
7802-462: Was formed under President Al Weiss in 2009. Worldwide Operations would take over various back-office functions previously performed by both Disney World and Disneyland including training, procurement, menu planning, and merchandise development. While its Walt Disney Imagineering subsidiary combined its three development units. In November 2009, Disney received approval from the Chinese government to build
7896-758: Was granted by the federal district judge. The Forest Service appealed and won at the appeal and the Supreme Court. This ruling opened the possibility of refiling to the club. In the next round of lawsuits, the same district judge blocked the redevelopment. The injunction and the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act led to Disney backing out. $ 40 million worth of Walt Disney Productions Convertible Debentures were sold in January 1968 to fund Disney World (WDW). The next year in February, an agreement
7990-553: Was his proposed EPCOT , the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was to be a futuristic planned city (and which was also known as Progress City). He envisioned a real working city with both commercial and residential areas, but one that also continued to showcase and test new ideas and concepts for urban living. Therefore, the Disney company petitioned the Florida State Legislature for
8084-484: Was made with multiple labor unions, in which the unions exchanged the right to strike for regular pay increases during the first building phase. By 1971, chairman of the Park Operations Committee and vice president of park operations Dick Nunis was appointed executive vice president of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World began operation on October 1, 1971 , with the Magic Kingdom park at
8178-567: Was merged into Parks and Resorts and renamed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In September 2020, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products laid off 28,000 employees in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . Originally, entry into the theme park and travel business was a side project of Walt Disney himself. As the Disneylandia project started to become a reality, Walt Disney Productions at Walt's request set up Disneyland, Inc. (DLI) in 1951 and agreed to
8272-533: Was merged into Walt Disney Attractions, LLC. On June 19, 1998, Disney Regional Entertainment opened its first DisneyQuest, a location-based entertainment venue, at Downtown Disney West Side in Walt Disney World. The first DisneyQuest outside of a resort was opened in Chicago on June 16, 1999, with plans for more locations worldwide. In 1999, plans were announced for a new resort in Hong Kong , Hong Kong Disneyland , as
8366-516: Was placed in development. This was announced as WestCOT in 1991, to be placed at the Disneyland Resort. On July 31, 1990, a new 350-acre (140 ha) ocean-themed park and resort, Port Disney, was announced for Long Beach. Port was to have a cruise-ship terminal, five hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas, costing $ 2 billion to build. On December 12, 1991, Disney selected only one California project to go forward with, Disneyland Resort, which
8460-487: Was preparing to suspend local prosecutor Andrew Warren for espousing pro-abortion rights views". Ron Peri runs The Gathering USA, a conservative Christian ministry for men in Florida, and previously claimed "estrogen in the water from birth control pills" has contributed to a rise in homosexuality, and has called homosexuality "shameful", "deviant", and that it was a cause of decline for the Roman Empire . Michael Sasso runs
8554-649: Was renamed Critter Country on November 23, 1988. Tishman Company 's plans for two Walt Disney World hotels were rejected by the new CEO Michael Eisner on September 30, 1984, marking a change in Disney architecture. New plans for the Dolphin and Swan hotels were submitted by Michael Graves in July 1986; ground breaking took place on January 28, 1988. The first non-Disney owned hotel, Pickett Suite Resort, opened in Disney World Village on March 15, 1987. On June 1, 1982,
8648-526: Was revamped in 1967 with seven new attractions. The design and architectural group and the WED Enterprise name was purchased from Walt's corporation, renamed as Retlaw Enterprise. Disney expanded into attractions at the 1964 New York World's Fair with It's a Small World and costumed character appearances. When the characters proved a hit at the 1964 World's Fair, Walt wanted another outlet for "live" characters; thus, Disneyland put on Disney on Parade ,
8742-642: Was started. In 2001, the Themed Entertainment Association gave Disney Parks and Resorts the Thea Award for Breakthrough Innovation for the park's FastPass system. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was incorporated on September 29, 2008, and took over the parks and resorts business segment. Disney Parks and Resorts reorganized in early 2009 which included layoffs in all units due to recession-induced falling attendance. 600 U.S. managers in January were buyout packages. Worldwide Operations
8836-587: Was to include the WestCOT Center, hotels, a shopping mall, and a lake. Port Disney was abandoned in March 1992, and Disney canceled its leases on the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions picked up from the Wrather Corporation. Mickey's Toontown , a new themed land at Disneyland, opened on January 24, 1993. Disney canceled its plans for WestCOT in mid-1995 due to financial issues at Disneyland Paris and
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