Statewars Day 2: My Favorite City In Florida
I never was a fan of large cities with millions of residents. Sure there are a lot of amazing ones out there usually I’m just not into concrete jungles, high living costs, crime, and the smell of them.
I am however attracted to company towns. These cities are rather interesting. As companies become so massive they dwarf actual cities in size of land they need for employees, houses, operating space. Privatization options are looked into. This to me seems like a possible future as more and more companies get dissolved into massive coagulates.
These cities are almost like normal ones. It usually comes down to the state and what agreements that city has made with the state for legal authority in their area. They can have schools, fire stations, stores, homes, apartments, city hall, and even police station if agreed on. Most of the time they are just looking for infrastructure and zoning rights to make building easier in the area for the company.
A rather interesting city like this is Bay Lake City in Florida. According to a 2010 census, there are only 47 residences (1). While at first look that number is rather small. When you think of all the things a city could have and all the employees it could house. You would think they would have more than that. Such a powerful city is only estimated to have 16 housing units (4). What kind of company would spend the kind of money to have a city of only 47 people (1)?
Whenever anyone talks about Walt Disney World in Florida they always say “that’s in Orlando.” How interesting. Since Bay Lake City is where the bulk of their theme parks are located and the rest residing in their other owned city like Lake Buena Vista.
Even more interesting is these private cities belong to Reedy Creek Improvement District. Which as you can guess Disney is also behind. Interesting enough according to their own website it is for creating effectiveness between government and business (2).
This gives the company very powerful tools in legislative. Everything from local tax collection, environmental regulations, building code, evacuation plans, utilities and so on. They can even request state and federal grants and other financial help.
As you can start to see when a company becomes powerful and big enough it can be rather worthwhile just owning everything as a municipality. Not all of them have these rights but some do. Makes me wonder why more do not go this route.
This is what gives them so much power and freedom. They control who is allowed to live in their private cities by handpicking them since they own everything. Elections in such cities become rather simple not very massive and do not need expensive campaigns. I can only assume that the city elects the Mayor the company wants and that mayor along with console members then enact legal processing and control the company desires.
Interesting enough Bay Lake City only had 7 council meetings scheduled on the books in 2017(3). Talk about being efficient. I’ve lost track how many times the city I’m currently living in has had to have meetings in 2017.
Have you ever been to one of their cities? What do you think about company-owned towns/cities/districts?
Information
Content is written by @enjar for my entry in Statewars Day 2 about my opinions on my “favorite city.” Photos used are not depictions of actual real thing but more used for the purpose of portraying my opinions on the subject matter of company towns.
I am not associated with Walt Disney or any of their subsidiaries. They are just used here as an example of the power that can be gained by using company towns and other legal entities.
Thats so interesting. I had never even heard of this name. I've never been to a company town. We've seen a lot of newly incorporated municipalities in Florida, so it doesn't surprise me that a large, land-owning corporation such as Disney would control this one.
Makes me want own my own town one day.
They always say a smart person first asks the government for money before anyone else! There was even a little controversy over their Reedy Creek Improvement District getting 57 million tax free state bond to use for “low-income” housing back in the 1990's.
haha I like that saying. Seems to have worked really well for them!
My father-in-law spent a lot of time in Southern California and said the Disney park their pretty much operates the same way. They bring in so much tax revenue they pretty much run everything in that city and are the judge and jury when it comes to what passes and what doesn't.
A lot of the decision making from my understanding in them wanting to own everything here came from there. They had business move in closer then they like and be able to profit from all the people that where attracted in.
Not sure about California but here it’s all just Disney for a few miles. You might as well stay at one of their hotels since its closer than other places. They either offer you a bus ride in and out of the park or a monorail depending where you are staying. It turns into a bit of a drive otherwise.
Had no idea that city’s like this existed so interesting and one of my favorite statewar posts of the day
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They are amazing. I would love to go that route one day if one of my companies took off.
That would be cool
Good luck
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Wow! Some interesting information! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Well done!