In Disney, one mouse reigns supreme- and if you
step foot on their Disney World property, that mouse is now your sovereign. This is the story
of how Disney World became its own government. The mid-1950s were a turbulent time in America.
The Korean War had just ended, and it wouldn’t be long before the US would find itself mired
in another in Vietnam. The US was also in the middle of a Cold War with the Soviet Union that
looked like it could turn hot at any moment, while Elvis Presley was shaking his hips on national
television, leading to millions of parents having to cover their children’s scandalized eyes.
It was right in the middle of this time of upheaval that a man named Walter Elias Disney
opened his very own theme park in Anaheim, California. It was a place where the public
could go to truly get away from it all and see their favorite animated heroes from the screen
come to life. It was a place where their wildest dreams could come true, for a price, of course.
Disneyland was incredibly successful, so much so that Walt was soon looking for a location for his
second park, one that he would make even bigger, grander, and most importantly, more profitable.
Because even though the park had been a huge achievement, Walt knew that it had a flaw.
Surveys of visitors to Disneyland showed that only 5% of the park’s guests were from the eastern
half of the United States. Apparently, even the happiest place on earth wasn’t enough to convince
New York travelers to spend their hard-earned dollars in California. This meant that Disneyland
was missing out on 75% of the nation’s population and, with it, the largest pool of tourists in
the country, but Walt had a plan to fix that. His big idea was an even grander park. A whole
self-contained world of happiness and whimsy, all infused with that Disney magic, of
course. A Disney World, if you will. But this place was going to be different from
the first park in Anaheim. Disney wanted far greater control over the surrounding areas,
as he intensely disliked the businesses that had popped up around Disneyland, which he felt
detracted from his vision of what the Disney theme park experience should be. He needed
land, and a lot of it, but more importantly, he needed it to be in a place where he
could wield ultimate authority and where no pesky local officials would try to disrupt his
grand plan for the world’s greatest theme park. Disney turned his eyes to Florida and found
what he considered to be the perfect location. Sure, at the time, it was nothing
more than a stinky, steaming swamp, but Walt could see past that and recognize the
potential for his Walt Disney World Resort. He found a site inhabited only by skunk apes and
alligators, and which had the added benefit of being very close to the planned Interstate 4,
as well as the Florida turnpike. In addition, McCoy Air Force Base, which would become Orlando
International Airport, was also near the planned construction site. This placed Disney World in
a spot with easy access to major transportation hubs, which suited Disney's plans to bring that
other 75% of the country into his new resort. There was just one problem. The 30,500 acres
of land Disney was eyeing was cheap - for now. But if word got out that the Disney corporation
was looking to buy land to build a new resort, prices would undoubtedly surge, potentially
adding tens of millions of dollars in costs to the project. Thus, Disney World would have to
be planned in absolute secrecy. No one outside of the organization could know about the park. That
meant that even internally, no one was allowed to utter the words “Disney World,” and the project
was referred to in-house only as 'the Florida project.’ Any leakers knew that they would face
the wrath of the most powerful mouse in the world. In order to keep land prices down, the Disney
corporation created a slew of shell corporations that it used to acquire the land in question.
These corporations bore exotic names such as “Ayefour Corporation,” “Latin-American Development
and Management Corporation,” and “Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation.” This tactic successfully kept
landowners and the government unaware of Disney's slow takeover of 48 square miles of Florida- but
they soon ran into another problem. Mineral rights in the area belonged to Tufts University, which
could invoke its right to mine for minerals at any time and could force the removal of personnel,
equipment, even buildings. This was obviously not going to work for Disney since Cinderella’s castle
isn’t exactly mobile. Luckily for Disney, they eventually managed to negotiate the mineral rights
away from Tufts, acquiring them for just $15,000. Now, with the land for the park secured, nothing
could stop Disney from making their dream come true of building the place where dreams come true.
Sadly for Walt Disney, he wouldn’t live to see his dream fulfilled. He died in 1966 after a battle
with cancer, just one year after the public announcement of Disney World. His brother, Roy O.
Disney, took over the park’s construction - and he too would make sure that this wasn’t
your ordinary, run-of-the-mill theme park. As Walt had himself said before he died, Disney
World would only stop growing when imagination ran out. Such a massive planned theme park would
require more than just hotels, restaurants, bathrooms, and even transportation- it would
need all the same services as a small city. But for the Disney corp, trying to negotiate and
plan the administration of city services on such a massive scale with the Florida government wouldn't
just be a bureaucratic nightmare, it would also add dramatically to operational costs. And it
would mean Disney wouldn't have near-absolute authority over its own massive property- something
that the mouse couldn’t and wouldn't tolerate. To successfully control their own land, Disney
would need to negotiate with Bay Lake and Lake Buena vista municipalities, essentially taking
over the role of government. Disney sought to effectively govern itself free of any outside
influence - but it’s no surprise that this idea came with a fair number of detractors.
Critics of the plan argued that if Disney was granted absolute sovereignty, it could for
all intents and purposes regulate itself, dictating things like the local minimum
wage and even what is, or isn't legal. Disney pushed ahead though and petitioned
hard for the creation of a special district that would essentially be under its control.
While landowners in both Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista would still be able to vote on
governance within the 'Disney District', as a major landowner itself, Disney would have
incredible power to enact statutes and measures. Finally, after persistent lobbying, Disney got
its wish, and suddenly Disney World was free of the restraints foisted upon your Average
Joe Theme Park owner in the rest of America. Well, not quite. Disney did win the right to
control its own infrastructure, largely free of state-wide regulations and any associated fees for
public services. This meant that Disney would be allowed to build its own sewage and water systems,
as well as roads. However, the company would still have to follow federal safety guidelines
and environmental regulations - you know, if they felt like it, because honestly,
nobody was really checking for a long time. This special Disney District would be named
the Reedy Creek Improvement District. It is governed by a five member board of supervisors
which are elected by landowners of the district. Since Disney is by far the largest landowner,
it's no surprise that senior Disney executives are routinely elected in landslide victories.
Reedy Creek Improvement District is a democracy like the rest of the US, only here every choice
is Disney. The district is completely free of county and state control, except in the payment
of property taxes and elevator inspections. For this though, Disney would need to provide its
own fire, medical, and environmental services. In addition, while it operates a small army of
security staff, Disney must still rely on county law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol to
make arrests. Disney is free however to enact its own building codes, and ensures its buildings are
able to withstand 110 mph winds due to Florida's habit of getting in the way of hurricanes.
For utilities, Disney uses a subsidiary, Reedy Creek Energy Services, to collect and
manage wastewater, as well as dispose of its own trash and generate its own electricity.
While Disney basically owns the district, most roads in the district are still public, save
for a small number of minor and dead-end roads which lead to Disney attractions. The Reedy Creek
Fire Department, basically subsidized by Disney, is responsible for responding to fire and
medical emergencies throughout the district, though Disney also keeps a large number
of onsite medics for park emergencies. Disney World has been a huge economic boon to the
area though. It employs 62,000 people at the park itself, not to mention the millions and millions
of dollars that get brought to the area and spent at other businesses by the millions who visit the
park each year. However, it's believed that the Disney corporation owes the Florida government
untold millions in property taxes. By pumping money into the election campaigns of officials who
promise to keep taxes low, Disney has managed to evade large sums in tax revenue for the state.
Recently, however, Disney World property has been reassessed, and the company's tax bill has
increased enough to warrant a slew of challenges and lawsuits filed by Disney corp against Florida.
Disney's self-regulating special district is pretty unprecedented, and as the
company continues to grow and expand, it might be looking at similar strategies in other
places around the country. So you never know, one day you might wake up to find the mouse
planting his flag on your front lawn, and with his trademark giggle, he’ll inform you that you
and your whole family now belong to Disney too. Now go watch the video Disney doesn't want
you to see- Totally messed up things that have happened at Disney World, or click this
other video instead. Vive la mouse resistance!
