How much does Disney really matter to the state of Florida?
There’s a new study that breaks down Disney’s impact in Florida by the numbers. [Read more…]
food IS a theme park
How much does Disney really matter to the state of Florida?
There’s a new study that breaks down Disney’s impact in Florida by the numbers. [Read more…]
Ever since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis changed the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), we’ve been following along with the updates.
Ever since the board members were named for CFTOD, we’ve seen multiple changes for the district that governs Disney World. But one of the most recently publicized decisions involved a member of the Florida Ethics Commission, who was awarded a large contract by the board. In the aftermath of that decision, CFTOD may be facing some problems.
Much has changed since the DeSantis-appointed Board of Supervisors took control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District — now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Longtime employees have left, operations have been amended, and most recently, employee Disney World Annual Pass benefits were replaced with a stipend. The park pass change follows the latest board meeting, where we also learned just how much they plan on budgeting to fight Disney in federal court.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District), has been enforcing some changes lately.
Earlier this month, the governing district held a board of supervisors meeting that resulted in the removal of a long-held benefit for its employees. That benefit granted employees free access to the Disney World parks (essentially a Disney World Annual Pass). Now, following backlash from that decision, the board has decided to put in place a new system to benefit its employees.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District) held a board of supervisors meeting on September 13th. During the meeting, board members shared an update on the status of a long-held Reedy Creek District employee benefit that may soon be eliminated.
The issue stems from a previously-created Reedy Creek employee benefit that granted employees free access to the Disney World parks (it was essentially a Disney World Annual Pass). Reportedly, the collective cost of these passes and peks was worth about $2.5 million, according to the Central Florida Torusim Oversign District. As part of the board’s new cost-cutting measures, the CFTOD talked about eliminating this benefit. Now, we’ve got an update.
Disney’s battles regarding the Reedy Creek Improvement District (now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) are far from over.
Lately, we’ve seen the Board of Supervisors for the District criticized for their removal of Disney Annual Pass benefits, important changes proposed for the District, and a countersuit filed by Disney against the DeSantis-appointed District board. But now we’ve got more updates.
The DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) Board is not backing down from its fight against Disney, according to new details revealed at the recent meeting.
The board is engaged in legal battles against The Walt Disney Company — they announced a lawsuit against Disney in May of this year, and Disney recently filed a countersuit against the board. These lawsuits don’t come cheap, as is evident in the Board’s budget plan for fiscal year 2024.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) held a board of supervisors meeting on August 23rd. During the meeting, members of the district met to express their comments and concerns regarding a long-held Reedy Creek District employee benefit that is set to be taken away under the new board.
For context, Reedy Creek employees previously received free access to the Disney World parks as an added benefit for working in the district. The collective cost of these passes and peks was worth about $2.5 million, per the Central Florida Torusim Oversign District. In an effort to cut costs and create a 2024 budget for the district, the CFTOD met to discuss its reasoning for eliminating this benefit. Here’s what they had to say.
2023 has been the year of ups, downs, and lots of changes for Disney, and even Orlando.
Earlier this year, the Reedy Creek Improvement District underwent a lengthy battle with Florida Governor Ron Desantis, which resulted in the District being restructured to become the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The new District consisted of a Board of Supervisors hand-appointed by Governor Desantis himself.
UPDATE: According to WESH 2 News, Glen Gilzean resigned from his position on the Florida Commission on Ethics in favor of keeping his job as the District Administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District).
There’s been a new development in the drama between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) board, and Disney.
The trio are already involved in a number of lawsuits, with Disney suing Gov. DeSantis (claiming the governor violated the company’s free speech rights) and the Board suing Disney because of agreements the company made with the previous Reedy Creek District board. The Board is now claiming that some perks Disney gave to previous Reedy Creek District employees are “unethical,” calling them a “scheme” that “raises significant questions regarding self-dealing.” [Read more…]