Central Florida Oversight District reconsiders its plans to eliminate Walt Disney World Annual Pass benefits for its employees

Sep 13, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

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Posted: Wednesday September 13, 2023 6:15pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

During tonight's Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board meeting, CEO Glen Gilzean revealed that the district continues looking for a new solution to the proposed changes to its Walt Disney World Annual Pass benefit for district employees.

In an email sent to Central Florida Tourism Oversight District employees in August, administrator Glen Gilzean said he is ending the Walt Disney World Annual Pass program benefit.

The removal of the Walt Disney World Annual Pass benefit follows the Ron DeSantis-appointed board receiving a bill from Walt Disney World for $2.5 million in theme park tickets and discounts given to employees of the district.

Gilzean said in his email, "In the proposed FY 2024 budget, I have incorporated funding for a new stipend program that allows for individualized flexibility rather than underserving employees with a one-size-fits-all approach."

The stipend program would give district employees approximately $1000 per year. The district said in the email that only 50% of employees used the Walt Disney World Annual Pass benefit.

Walt Disney World Annual Passes range in price from $400 to $1400, depending on the tier of pass chosen.

Not surprisingly, the proposal received significant pushback from the district employees, most notably the fire fighters and retirees.

Speaking today, Gilzean said that the board is making significant progress in developing reasonable solutions. He said, "We received feedback on the stipend amount, and we're working with the board of supervisors to increase the initial proposal now and making it more equitable."

One of the plans in consideration is the possibility of allowing teams to purchase passes directly from the operating participant program. Gilzean expects to unveil these numbers during the September 27 board meeting.

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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.

Brian8 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.

mkt8 days ago

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

pdude818 days ago

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

Brian8 days ago

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

pdude818 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.