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State inspectors could soon be allowed to perform safety checks on Disney World’s monorail for the first time as proposed legislation calling for more state oversight at The Mouse cleared a Senate committee Tuesday.
Under current Florida Department of Transportation procedures, on-site state inspections would happen every three years at the monorail while Disney would be required to update its safety plan — which includes records, audits, procedures and corrective actions — annually, said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, who sponsored the amendment that was tacked onto SB 1250. Currently, Disney self-inspects the monorail and its rides.
If FDOT finds a problem with the monorail, “it really is going to be last resort for them to entirely suspend, in this case, a monorail system,” said DiCeglie, a Republican from Indian Rocks Beach.
He added monorails “are not overly technical. Obviously, monorails have been around for over 50 years … I think they’re pretty straightforward.”
Two Democratic lawmakers from Central Florida, Sen. Linda Stewart and Sen. Geraldine Thompson, pressed DiCeglie to make sure Disney World, which operates some of the busiest theme parks in the world, wouldn’t be impacted by state inspectors shutting down the 15 miles of monorails for safety checks.
Disney and FDOT would work together to make sure “inspections are done at a time that’s agreeable to both parties,” DiCeglie answered.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has put Disney in his crosshairs in what’s been an ongoing fight since last Session, when Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education measure, known colloquially as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Republican lawmakers retaliated and stripped away Disney’s control of its government board. A new law was passed earlier this year granting DeSantis the power to replace the board with his appointees.
But before the new state-controlled board took over Disney’s government, Disney and the outgoing board passed agreements that gave Disney more power on future land use plans and, among other things, allowed Disney set its own utility rates, new board members said.
DeSantis has accused Disney and the old board of making an “11th hour deal” to deliberately deceive the state.
Last week, DeSantis warned that lawmakers would be looking at requiring Disney’s monorail to be inspected by the state.
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