Back in 1967 when Disney World was just a gleam in Mickey’s eye and states around the country were vying for Walt Disney’s approval to build his second theme park, the Florida legislature passed the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which gave the Walt Disney Company a special carve-out, making it a self-governing enclave.
The Act gave Disney “the ability, the power to build a nuclear power plant, an airport manufacturer, distill and distribute alcoholic beverages and lots of other things,” said Dr. Richard Foglesong, author of Married to the Mouse in an interview with a Florida TV station last year.
