Disney Opens Affordable Housing Near Walt Disney World, Company Notes After Gov. DeSantis Strikes Out; The New Reedy Creek Council has a plan

Disney said today that “affordable and viable housing” around Walt Disney World, first announced a year ago, could open in 2026. “This type of land contribution is unique and one of many ways we are making a sustainable difference in Central Florida,” said a post on the Disney Parks Blog, two days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the lack of affordable housing on his list of reasons for beating the house of the mouse was published.

The governor has even threatened to consider building a new state prison near WDW amid an ongoing feud over who has operational control of thousands of acres in South Florida — Disney or the state.

Disney said: “Every day we are making more and more progress on this initiative, and now we are pleased to announce that groundbreaking on this development is planned for the next year, with the first units expected to be completed in 2026 .She expanded the project by 100 units to around 1,400.

“Offering more units will allow even more Florida families to have access to affordable housing and as construction and operations continue to create new Florida jobs.” It said the property is several miles from Magic Kingdom, close to schools and shops. Development is privately funded and restricted to applicants within a certain income bracket.

WDW President Jeff Vahle met with developer The Michaels Organization earlier this week, “and we talked about how we hope this development will inspire others in the community and across the country to tackle this important issue in innovative ways.” Disney also noted that it recently joined with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida to open a newly renovated youth center with a $100,000 Disney grant. It also said that Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort donated more than $300,000 to local charities.

The governor fired Disney over retaliation after the conglomerate opposed a new state law last year that critics called “Don’t Say Gay,” which banned discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools up to third grade. . The Legislature revoked Disney’s longtime autonomy over what was called the Reedy Creek Improvement District, but it appeared to be outbid by a development agreement with the state from Reedy Creek’s previous board of directors appointed by Disney. DeSantis vows to reverse that deal and take control of the company, taking an aggressive stance against the state’s largest taxpayer and one of its largest employers.

“We’ve always respected and appreciated what the state did for us, but it wasn’t a one-way street,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said recently.

The new DeSantis Board of Directors of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District met earlier today and discussed how to move forward. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the board claims that procedural errors in public disclosure invalidate the agreement that gave Disney exclusive development rights. The deal has been announced, Disney said. However, an attorney for the board said today that state law requires all affected property owners to be notified in advance, which was not done.

“The bottom line is that Disney made a joke worthy of Scrooge McDuck to circumvent Florida law,” said David H. Thompson, an attorney at the law firm Cooper & Kirk, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

A Disney representative was not immediately available for comment.

The fight continues in Florida as Disney employees prepare for company-wide layoffs.