Disney World’s Private Government

Walt Disney World Resort is huge — it consists of four theme parks, 27 hotels with 21 thousand rooms, over 30 thousand parking spaces, shopping, water parks, and all of the backstage areas needed to run such a massive operation. Walt Disney World is set on 27,000 acres in central Florida — roughly the size of the city of San Francisco. It’s also the most visited resort in the world. It’s impressive size and record setting visitor attendance are amazing. For sure. But what might be even more amazing, particularly if you are a city planning nerd like me, is the special district that grants the company unprecedented powers over its land and municipal services.