As Ron DeSantis and the new special district governing Walt Disney World Resort look to take over governing procedures, many wonder what the implications are. Today, we look at just the attraction inspections Disney has been exempted from in the past.
Since the inception of Walt Disney World, the sprawling theme park megalopolis has had a number of advantages over any competition. One of those advantages would be that Disney, unlike all other theme park operators in the state, did not have to submit to attraction inspections by a state inspector. Now, that appears to be changing. Here’s a brief history of how Disney had previously skirted the issue.
The state of Florida has a long history of prioritizing theme park safety regulations. Since the early 1970s, Florida has required theme parks to obtain operating permits that are issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The FDACS Division of Consumer Services, Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection, is the primary agency responsible for inspecting and regulating amusement rides in the state.
Prior to the creation of the Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection, the responsibility of inspecting amusement rides in Florida was shared between various state and local agencies. However, the tragic accident at the now-defunct Six Flags Over Georgia in 1967, where a girl was killed on the “Skydiver” ride, prompted the Florida Legislature to take action to create a unified regulatory agency to oversee amusement park safety in the state. As a result, in 1973, the Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection was established within the FDACS.
However, because The Walt Disney World Resort was built under a special district with state-law cancelling powers, the RCID (Reedy Creek Improvement District) was able to nullify the need for Disney to submit to the Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection.
The New Rules for Disney
The Bureau is responsible for inspecting all amusement rides in the state of Florida, including rides at theme parks, water parks, and traveling carnivals. Inspections are conducted by trained ride inspectors who use a variety of tools and techniques to ensure that rides are operating safely. Inspectors check everything from the bolts and screws on a ride to the electrical and mechanical components. Now, Disney will be required to submit to these inspections, just as other theme parks across the state have had to comply for decades.
In addition to the initial inspection, rides in Florida are required to undergo periodic inspections throughout the year. This includes daily inspections conducted by the ride operators themselves, as well as weekly, monthly, and annual inspections conducted by the Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection. If a ride fails an inspection, it is immediately shut down until the necessary repairs are made and the ride is deemed safe for operation.
The state of Florida has also taken additional steps to improve amusement park safety in recent years. In 2018, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring theme parks to report any injuries or illnesses that occur on their rides to the state within 24 hours. This reporting requirement is in addition to the existing reporting requirements that require parks to report serious accidents to the state within 24 hours.
Furthermore, the state of Florida has also implemented regulations that require amusement parks to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance. This insurance is intended to protect visitors in the event that they are injured on a ride or in the park.
End Result
It would seem Disney has committed the sin of “meter la pata.” In taking on the Florida legislature, governor and majority of voters, and especially over a topic that is extremely divisive, the company has damaged its sweetheart deals. Whereas the state had looked the other way for the entirety of WDW’s existence, now they’re being held to the same standards as everyone else. That means compliance and that means money.
Hopefully the stance they took was worth a century of compliance payments. After all, that’s only the beginning of the woes the company has.
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Editor’s Note 6:20 PM ET, 4/25: Thank you to Jim Farmer for bringing it to our attention that this article did not mention that currently major theme parks are exempt from inspection. However, we do suspect this will change very soon with amendments looking very likely in Florida. https://dapsmagic.com/2023/04/florida-senate-introduces-amendment-to-inspect-walt-disney-world-resort-monorails/
According to The State of Florida’s website, theme park inspections with more than 1,000 employees are exempt. This article fails to mention that fact, and instead implies the exemption occurs because of the Reedy Creek District. But, the exemption also applies to Universal, Sea World, and other major theme parks in the state.
https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Fairs/Fair-Rides-Inspection
Good catch, Jim. We’ll update with clarification — should have been mentioned. I think Amelia was looking at the latest comments from the Florida governor about how they’re going to begin doing ride inspections of Disney attractions and the monorail. https://dapsmagic.com/2023/04/florida-senate-introduces-amendment-to-inspect-walt-disney-world-resort-monorails/
Well what is the Statistics of them doing their own inspections in the past years , Is there safety record and accident record lower than other government institutions and parks , Just wondering since the innovation of amusement equipment has jumped dramatically , and very technical Compared to the basic Rides and Attractions in past years , being raised in this Industry , I used to hear that their inspections were far superior to FDCAS , but who was able to make those comparisons , Thanks