What is the Reedy Creek Improvement District?
When you've been to Walt Disney World, you might have noticed a reference to Reedy Creek or Reedy Creek Improvement District and wondered if that was a nearby community in Florida.
It IS a community in Florida, sort of. But it's not nearby. When you're at Walt Disney World, you are in it. In fact, it was there before Walt Disney World, and it is the governing jurisdiction for the 38.5 square miles of Walt Disney World property.
So, wait, there was a community there before Disney was there?
Well, no. Not really, though Reedy Creek did exist before Walt Disney World did. Picture this: It's 1963 and the theme park you opened in California is a great success, but it can't be expanded because business have sprung up all around it. In fact, some of these businesses even encroach on the view within the park, ruining that sense of complete separation form the rest of the world you want to offer guests. So you go looking for another place where you can have lots of land and lots of room for expansion.
Preferably this place is in a warmer climate so people will enjoy it year-round. Preferably it'll be central or even on the East coast so that you can draw on new tourist potential who can't make it to California because it's too far away. Preferably, the land is cheap.
That's right about when 38.5 square miles of swamp in central Florida catch your eye. But you don't want word out just yet, so you go about setting up several small companies to buy this land without tying it to the Disney name just yet, including names like Reedy Creek Ranch, Ayefour (named after nearby 1-4), Bay Lake properties, and more. (You can see these names now on the windows of Main Street USA).
Then in 1966, these all consolidate under the jurisdiction of one Reedy Creek Drainage District. Washington DC might talk about draining the swamp, but Walt Disney actually did it as one of his final acts.
To further have independence over their own land, Reedy Creek Drainage District petitioned the State of Florida to become its own municipality, allowing it complete control over zoning and land use. The municipality is the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
But, it's a fake municipality, right?
In the eyes of the law, it's very real. Though it's going to look fake to us. The reason for this is that there are 5 representatives who govern this district and to do so, each owns one piece of land within the municipality. The only residents of the area are Disney employees and their family (and a very small number of those actually live within Reedy Creek Improvement District). While I lived on Disney-owned property, for example, when I was in the college program, I lived in Orlando, not the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
However, it does provide many of its own services. Here are some interesting highlights:
Building Codes - Building codes within the Reedy Creek Improvement District are defined by the Reedy Creek Improvement District and follow what is called the "EPCOT" code. Some say this code is more strict, while others say it is comparable to standard building code.
Emergency Services - Walt Disney World essentially has its own fire department in Reedy Creek Fire Department. They serve not only in fire prevention and response but also in emergency response. There are 138 firefighters and EMS in four fire stations on Disney property, each with at least one ladder and special units, including "the monorail unit".
Utilities - Wastewater treatment, water, electricity, and natural gas are all served through the Reedy Creek Energy Services, which is now part of Walt Disney Company. So, yes, the water from your faucet at your resort really is "Disney water". There is also a giant solar farm on Disney property that was developed in recent decades to bring Disney to a more green energy footprint.
Roads - Aside from public roads that pass through the district, most roads on Disney property are maintained by the district.
Law Enforcement - Disney does contract with county police departments in Orange and Osceola counties, but also employs 800+ security personnel responsible for security on the property itself. We are sure you've seen them at bag check.
Public Transportation - is provided within the district by Disney Transport. That includes your buses, monorails, boats, ferries, and more.
Airport - Walt Disney World used to have its own small airport, the Lake Buena Vista STOL airport. STOL stands for Short Take Off and Landing. However, this airport is no longer in use and never was very big. Rumor has it that when it was in use, the landing strip would play "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" under the tires of the plane as it rolled to a stop.
This sounds like a real city. But what about Celebration?
Many of us are familiar with Celebration as the official Disney city, and it is indeed a Disney developed and owned city. But Celebration is not in the Reedy Creek Improvement District. In a bit of interesting corporate planning, Celebration was actually removed from the district because of fear that the actual residents who live there and who are not owned or employed by the Walt Disney Company could vote and impact plans in the Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Disney company. So Celebration is on unincorporated land within Osceola county.
Another misconception is that Celebration Hospital is a Disney hospital, but it is not. It is actually a hospital run by Advent Health.
Why go to all this trouble, though?
There are two main reasons Disney went through all this trouble when planning Walt Disney World. One is the reason we mentioned earlier - that the Disney Corporation was very interested in making it so that they had land on which to expand over the years. They wanted to be in full control of that land.
But even that doesn't explain the need for their own municipal services like utilities. For that, we have to look further at what EPCOT was originally thought to be and what it never was. EPCOT, or Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow, was truly supposed to be a city when planned by Walt Disney. It would have residents, businesses, and recreation that you would find a city... and therefore also needed to have the services you would find in a city. It wasn't until after Walt died in 1966 that the company decided they did not want to be in the city planning business at the time, and changed the plans for EPCOT. But by this time, the infrastructure, or at least the regulations to allow that infrastructure, were in place. And it's obvious Disney benefits from having full control and self-sufficiency in many aspects of operation.
Next time you see a mention of Reedy Creek while on Disney property, we hope you'll have a new appreciation for what it really means. What do you think? Is it awesome or overreach? Was it a sneaky move or a smart move? Let us know over on our Facebook page where you can comment on this blog's post. Until then...
