Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday that would eliminate the Reedy Creek Improvement District – a special independent district established in the late 1960s that has allowed Walt Disney World to govern itself – by July 2023.

The bill, Senate 4C, was introduced in both the Florida House and Senate on Tuesday. The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, followed by the Florida House on Thursday. Gov. DeSantis signed it Friday, during a news conference at a school in Hialeah Gardens.

For more than five decades, Disney has been able to make additions to its resort area, including new theme parks, hotels and other tourism experiences, without interference from local counties. That’s set to change in June 2023 now that DeSantis has signed the bill into law.

Widely seen as a contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, DeSantis is locked in a bitter and public feud with the entertainment giant over the company’s denouncement of Florida’s HB 1557 law last month. While proponents of the bill have denied that it is a retaliatory act against Disney, critics see it as retribution for publicly quarreling with the governor.

Reedy Creek was created in 1967 by the Florida legislature so Disney could develop the infrastructure for Walt Disney World at no cost to Florida taxpayers. Disney established and continues to maintain more than 130 miles of roadways and 67 miles of waterways as well as government services such as fire protection, emergency services, water, utilities and sewage.

Tax experts and legislators say eliminating the district could have unintended consequences for county taxpayers. Disney’s special tax district status allows the company to levy an additional tax on itself to pay for municipal services, something that other counties cannot do. That tax currently amounts to $105 million per year, said Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph. Reedy Creek also receives additional revenue of nearly $60 million from Disney to pay its bond debt.

Sunsetting Reedy Creek means that local counties will begin paying for those services without that special status in place. Taxpayers will likely be left to foot the bill for potholes and emergency services.

The counties would also absorb Reedy Creek’s debt. The district historically operates at a loss of around $5 million to $10 million each year, according to its financial reports. But since Disney can subsidize its own operations with theme park revenue, that debt doesn’t have much impact on its bottom line.