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This was a deal given to Disney back in the 60s to help lure them to the state. I am sure that it helped them over the years.
We have 2000+ of these kinds of districts in the state. It might be worth your while to read up on how these things work here and what they provide. The primary reason people are bothered by the removal of the district is because, by law, their taxes are going to go up in a HUGE way and the counties will have to figure out how to fund all the things the district was paying for themselves. You'll notice that Disney isn't saying much about this. There isn't anything for them to say. It's not like they are going to shut down and move. They'll simply play by the new rules and end up paying less in taxes etc since now they don't have the costs of running the special district. The counties will be left with the bond debt as well as trying to figure out how to now supply that area with infrastructure, fire, medical, water, police etc.
I don't know if they were the first, but they were pretty close.
I think I mentioned this in the Florida thread, but that's by design. It's scheduled to take effect next year, after the midterms and the legislative session. That means if Disney falls in line (which is the real goal of all these threats) DeSantis can say, "No harm, no foul" and all of a sudden all those principles about not giving companies special treatment will go away.
Interesting Fact: An STD outbreak in Century Village in Pembroke Pines about 15 years ago was attributed to viagra. There was a trailer park nearby with some prostitutes and older men would contribute to the local economy on the first of the month after getting their SS checks. I think there's a 4 to 1 ratio of women to men inside Century Village, so some unlucky older women also got HIV exposure. The "Condom Lady" educated seniors about safe sex, I heard one of her presentations complete with a banana.
