DeSantis' Central Florida Tourism Oversight District says Florida government officials should bring more reforms to the Disney district

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Posted: Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:28pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

In today's meeting of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, board members spent almost three hours discussing an audit that was commissioned to investigate the financial and governance of Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District.

CFTOD says Reedy Creek was a Pandora's box, a curse disguised in the form of a beautiful gift

CFTOD chairman Martin Garcia said that for many years, Disney did not pay impact fees within the district, resulting in the surrounding area bearing the financial burden for public services. He claimed that Reedy Creek failed to fulfill promises to Florida, such as creating housing, which has caused avoidable quality of life issues for district employees. It should be noted that Disney has a project underway to bring 1,300 units to 80 acres of land in southwest Orange County, Florida, for an affordable housing development.

The CFTOD commissioned audit also details what it says are inappropriate tactics by Disney, leading to benefits at the expense of local taxpayers, vendors, and even the federal government. It alleges that Disney sold utility operations to the district at potentially unfair prices and concealed tax income.

Speaking of the original 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement District act, Garcia said it was a "Pandora's box, a curse disguised in the form of a beautiful gift. Now that the truth is out, Florida lawmakers and government officials should expel the curse with more reforms to the district."

You can read the full CFTOD audit of Reedy Creek Improvement District here.

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castlecake2.07 days ago

Yes

Stripes7 days ago

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

mkt7 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.

Unbanshee7 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

lazyboy97o7 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.

Brian7 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.

mkt7 days ago

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

pdude817 days ago

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

Brian7 days ago

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

pdude817 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.

lazyboy97o8 days ago

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

flynnibus8 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.

UNCgolf8 days ago

That seems wildly optimistic.

flynnibus8 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.