Disney announces groundbreaking for affordable housing in Florida

Authored by reuters.com and submitted by AshIsGroovy
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April 19 (Reuters) - Walt Disney World said on Wednesday it would break ground next year on a planned affordable housing development in Central Florida.

The unit of Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) said it plans to provide 1,400 housing units on 80 acres (32.4 hectares) of land "a few miles away" from the Magic Kingdom and near schools and shopping. The first units are expected to be completed in 2026.

The announcement comes the same day as members of the state-appointed oversight board discussed the need for affordable housing for Disney's 75,000 employees.

Tensions between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney began last year, when the company publicly opposed the state's legislation barring instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.

The Florida legislature passed a bill, which DeSantis signed, giving the governor the authority to appoint supervisors to a board that oversees municipal services and development in a special district that encompasses Walt Disney World resort.

Disney responded by pushing through a developer's agreement and restrictive covenants that would limit the new board's actions for decades. The Governor responded by calling on the state lawmakers to pass a bill that would nullify the company's efforts.

Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Christopher Cushing

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SadlyReturndRS on April 20th, 2023 at 06:06 UTC »

That's great!

But we still need to Repeal the Faircloth Amendment.

Back in 1999, Clinton signed a bill that included the Faircloth Amendment, which forbid the federal government from building any new public housing that isn't replacing old public housing.

Different states have tried to get around it in various ways, but at the end of the day, HUD cannot help build new public housing without funding from the private sector.

And as we've all seen the rise in homelessness as well as rents, the private sector is not in the business of helping poor people actually afford a roof over their heads.

BleedingTeal on April 20th, 2023 at 04:57 UTC »

I could be wrong here, but aren’t there laws regarding how close prisons are to public housing? My thinking is Disney may be doing this both for good public policy, but also to nullify efforts that DeSantis tries to take by opening a prison next to Disney World.

SunsetKittens on April 20th, 2023 at 04:45 UTC »

Cool. I have no idea how this plays in with the Disney - DeSantis feud but I do like more housing.