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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 28 april 2022
Disney government in dark about effect of law dissolving it

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and ant has over other theme
ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE parks, including allowing it
Associated Press to issue bonds and set its
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) own zoning standards.
— At the first meeting of At an event Monday,
Walt Disney World's private the governor assured a
government since Florida cheering crowd that Dis-
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed ney's bond debts won't be
into law a measure to dis- dumped on taxpayers.
solve it next year, officials "Under no circumstances
said Wednesday they were will Disney be able to not
still confused about what pay its debts, we will make
the new legislation meant, sure of that," DeSantis said.
even as some ripple effects Credit rating agency Fitch
were starting to be felt. Ratings has put Reedy
The administrator of the Creek on a "negative
government, called the watch" list, indicating that
Reedy Creek Improvement the private government's
District, said the expansion ratings could stay the same
of a solar power project or potentially be down-
could be delayed because graded. A downgrade
of financing challenges District Administrator John Classe, from left, Ed Milgrim, legal counsel, Leila Jammal, Board of would make borrowing
Supervisors, Jane Adams, BOS, Larry Hames, President of the BOS and Don Greer, BOS, meet with
linked to the legislation, the days agenda in the Reedy Creek District of Orange County, Fla., Wednesday, April 27, 2022. more difficult for Reedy
and the union for the dis- Associated Press Creek.
trict's firefighters expressed Another ratings agency,
concerns about what the early grade school, which from the district. DeSantis guaranteed lifetime health S&P Global Ratings, said
dissolution might mean for critics call "Don't Say Gay." has dismissed those con- insurance, he said. that among the ques-
members' lifetime benefits. For the governor, the feud cerns and said additional "We have been told to tions left unanswered by
After the meeting, Donald was the latest front in a legislation would be draft- stay quiet, don't talk to the new law was whether
Greer, who has been a culture war he has waged ed to clarify the future of the media, don't engage Reedy Creek would recon-
member of Reedy Creek's over policies involving race, such special districts in the with current events," Shirey stitute after it's dissolved
board of supervisors since gender and the corona- state. told supervisors. "We have next year, how utility oper-
1975, said the board could virus, battles DeSantis has At the Reedy Creek meet- been told the leadership ations and debt would be
not provide clear answers harnessed to make himself ing Wednesday, district of the district will tell the transferred to the neighbor-
on those issues because one of the most popular administrator John Classe story. They will be the ones ing governments if it came
"we don't know where we Republicans in the country said a developer has expe- putting out the message. I to that and how the neigh-
are going." and a likely 2024 presiden- rienced challenges financ- ask you, 'What is that mes- boring governments would
"The district may have a re- tial candidate. ing a planned expansion sage?'" raise taxes to secure Reedy
sponse as soon as we know A day before DeSantis of a solar power program, The supervisors did not re- Creek's debt.
what it means, but I don't signed the bill into law, the meaning it could be de- spond, and in fact spent Under the law, Reedy Creek
know if anybody knows Reedy Creek Improvement layed. little time devoted to the would expire by June 2023.
what it means. I don't think District sent a statement to Jon Shirey, the head of the legislation which poses an The lack of public answers
anyone has deciphered it," investors that said it would union for Reedy Creek's existential threat to the from Reedy Creek leaders
Greer said. continue its financial oper- firefighters, who make up 55-year-old Reedy Creek about the new law may
The dissolution measure ations as usual. The district around half of the private Improvement District. come from fear "the gov-
was passed quickly in the wrote that its agreement government's 400 employ- Classe told supervisors its ernor will find their state-
Republican-controlled with the state forbids Flori- ees, asked supervisors to workers would continue ments unfriendly and that
statehouse without public da from limiting or altering give his members reassur- to function with the same will complicate things," said
study of its impact and was the district's ability to col- ances that their jobs and "high standards and profes- Shirey, who added he is op-
hastily signed into law by lect taxes or fulfill its bond benefits would be pre- sionalism they always have timistic lawmakers will look
DeSantis. The move came obligations. served since they have done as we learn what this after the interests of the dis-
in a GOP push to punish Critics of the dissolution bill been kept in the dark legally means." trict's first responders.
Disney over its opposition to have warned that taxpay- about what the effect is Backers of the dissolution of "We have 14 months, and
another new law barring in- ers in neighboring counties going to be. The firefight- Reedy Creek have argued a lot can change between
struction on gender identity could end up shouldering ers, particularly retirees, are it removes an unfair advan- now and then," Shirey
and sexual orientation in about $1 billion in debts worried about losing their tage the entertainment gi- said.q

New hearing ordered over California

ban on private prisons

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. hearing before an 11-judge ing out privately-run immi-
(AP) — A federal appeals panel, the San Francisco gration jails in California by
court on Tuesday agreed Chronicle reported. 2028. The law was passed
to reconsider a ruling that Last October, a three- as one of numerous efforts
rejected the state's first-in- judge appellate panel by California Democrats to
the-nation ban on for-profit kept in place a key piece limit the state's coopera-
private prisons and immi- of the world's largest de- tion with the federal gov-
gration detention facilities. tention system for immi- ernment on immigration
Detainees talk on telephones at the Adelanto ICE Processing The 9th U.S. Circuit Court grants — despite a 2019 enforcement under the
Center in Adelanto, Calif., Aug. 28, 2019.
Associated Press of Appeals ordered a new state law aimed at phas- Trump administration.q