Agenda for the next Central Florida Tourism Oversight District meeting indicates the board will declare Disney's last agreement with Reedy Creek null and void

Apr 20, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

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Posted: Thursday April 20, 2023 3:00pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Ron DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board will meet again on April 26 to declare Disney's agreement with Reedy Creek null and void.

Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

According to the agenda that has just been released, section 8.1 of the meeting labeled as "New Business" will formally declare both the Development Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants between Disney and Reedy Creek void.

Approval of legislative findings regarding and declare the Development Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants entered into by the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. void ab initio and direction to litigation counsel regarding same.

In a presentation yesterday by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's lawyers, it was said that Disney's February 8 2023 developer agreements and restrictive covenants with Reedy Creek Improvement District prior to the new board taking over are "null and void."

Specifically, David H. Thompson from Cooper & Kirk said that Disney was in violation of the Florida Sunshine Law, and "failed to mail notice to the other property owners in the district." Adding that this alleged inaction "dooms their entire effort."

However, there appears to be a great deal of uncertainty regarding Reedy Creek's obligation to notify property owners, and a legal challenge by Disney would seem a certainty.

Signed into effect on February 8, just as the Florida House passed the legislation to take control of Reedy Creek Improvement District, the new Developer Agreement gives Disney significant control of the RCID landing and prevents the new board making any changes to the agreement.

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castlecake2.010 days ago

Yes

Stripes10 days ago

Has Disney/CFTOD continued to replace the purple direction signage with the new blue color scheme since CFTOD took over?

mkt11 days ago

You're right. The new document will be different. It will be "different" in the way that Chris Gaines was "different" from Garth Brooks or how the drummer from Nirvana is "different" from the singer of the Foo Fighters.

Unbanshee11 days ago

Both are effectively picked by the Governor, just not technically. Look no further than the communications "strategy" with the replacement of Gilzean of the Governor's office getting out ahead of every single step of the process

lazyboy97o11 days ago

The settlement acknowledged the “need” to change the comprehensive plan, which undermines this idea. So too does the lack of an agreement, as the 2032 Comprehensive Plan wasn’t that different than the again in force 2020 Comprehensive Plan.

Brian11 days ago

That's understandable for sure. I just felt inclined to make the distinction due to the ongoing conversation, as the district administrator is selected by the board, while the board is selected by the governor.

mkt11 days ago

The new agreement will be functionally the same as the one Disney was sued over.

pdude8111 days ago

You're right. This has been going on so long I just lumped all the antagonists together.

Brian11 days ago

Not to nitpick, but Gilzean was district administrator, not a board member.

pdude8111 days ago

A bigger risk than keeping Garcia and Gilzean on the board as active disruptors? I don't agree with their decision to stall the federal lawsuit, but I understand why they saw the status quo as a risk to growth over the next few years.

lazyboy97o11 days ago

You don’t think dropping your bargaining power in the middle is the best strategy in a negotiation?

flynnibus11 days ago

Again… we know nothing except both sides have shown signs of positive attitude and certainty of successful outcomes. What does that mean? None if us know. All we can speculate is… they know a lot more than they have said publicly… and obvious things like "desantis is not perpetual…" were clearly obvious to them when they made these choices.

UNCgolf11 days ago

That seems wildly optimistic.

flynnibus11 days ago

“Right now…” Yes, we all know this. But again, we don’t know what back room deal they have setup. Who knows… it could even include new legislation promises… Or Disney is just rolling with the hand they are dealt… maybe they have accepted that the time to sunset their advantages of rcid is here… none of us can tell what their true intentions are right now.