The Walt Disney Company has been having quite a rough time in Florida over the past year. Beginning with their controversial stance against Floridian legislation, they have been stripped of their special Reedy Creek district from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in response. Since then, Disney has been seeking legal action in both state and federal court in an attempt to regain control of the property they had held since 1967.
Now, in an ironic twist of fate, Disney’s largest competitor in the theme park business, Universal Studios, will apparently be receiving a special district for their upcoming Epic Universe expansion.
The news comes via the Orlando Business Journal; the Shingle Creek Transit & Utility Community Development District, or “Shingle Creek” for short, has been approved by the state of Florida. The land in this district is largely taken up by the currently in-development Epic Universe theme park (719 acres), which will act as a third gate for the already popular Universal Studios Orlando theme park/resort. It will also include 13 acres of the new SunRain train station connecting to the airport and the Orlando Convention Center.
These new district seats will be held by Universal employees, which seems a bit hypocritical given that Disney’s new board had demands that members could not have working in the theme park business in a few years. The Walt Disney Company could leverage this in their ongoing lawsuit against the Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis. However, this change was voted on by The Orange County Board of County Commissioners.
Of course, this is being viewed as a win for Universal Orlando. The continued amount of wins Universal has been having against Disney in the theme park business keeps growing. Not only does Universal offer a large variety of thrill rides (something Disney lacks), but it is seemingly much more affordable in terms of park admission and hotel offerings. Not to mention how they were able to license both Harry Potter and Nintendo, which has given them massive international success and recognition. 
The current landscape of the theme park wars is tipping ever more slightly in favor of Universal, as well as other organizations such as Six Flags and Cedar Fair. Disney, the once prince of theme parks, is being reduced to a popper.
Disney needs to turn the ship around fast. But the recent price increases probably won’t help them in the long run.
Source: Cinemablend
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