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"

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.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

mkt19 days ago

The free speech claim was federal, the land use claim was state.

mikejs7819 days ago

The federal case was not predicated on FL free speech law, it was based around 1st amendment jurisprudence and the US Constitution contract clause. The state case was based around state law but not speech state law.

Bullseye196719 days ago

I am not sure of the actual filing and I will admit that I am too lazy to look through all the filings you posted, Thank you, but I think it was a claim on FL law and not Federal. The Sol on "free speech" in FL is 3 years, but it is not limited in USC, And if this is right, it was what I quoted above. The clock is ticking. A federal court can not take action on a state law case if SoL has expired.

JoeCamel21 days ago

Saved them a bunch of cash

Chi8421 days ago

The State was happy with the way things were. For many, many years.

mikejs7821 days ago

My gut says that beginning in 2027 there will be legislation that slowly picks away at CFTOD and gradually returns control to Disney. It won't happen all at once - but I bet it will happen.

Chi8421 days ago

There's a battle being lost, but it's not really a PR battle and it only tangentially involves Disney.

mkt21 days ago

You’re right that there wasn’t a massive public rally to defend Disney. At least not in the way we often see with political figures or causes. But that doesn’t mean they lost the PR battle. It just means they played it differently. They didn’t need cheering crowds. They let the state’s actions speak for themselves. The Lake Nona cancellation - whether intentional or not - ended up being the loudest statement. Thousands of high-paying jobs. Gone. Local business groups noticed. Real estate noticed. Economists noticed. That stuck. Meanwhile, the “win” Florida claimed was largely symbolic - swapping one board for another - while Disney kept building, kept expanding, and retained the infrastructure and bond authority they needed. The machine never stopped. And let’s not forget: the only only people visibly waving flags on the property line during this entire episode? They were on the state’s side, and those flags bore symbols we all agree have no place in a civilized society. So no - Disney didn’t lose the PR war. They just didn’t fight it with soundbites. They let time and economic impact do the talking.

flynnibus21 days ago

Who came to defend Disney? Who lined up to call out DeSantis' action? Who lined up to point out the cabel action in the Legislature? Who used Disney as an example of what can happen? I'm not talking about who wrote stories to cover the news.. I'm talking about who put their name on the line to call out the injustice that was happening? How many people did you hear regurgitating the false propoganda about taxes? How many people did you hear thinking this RCID thing was some long running scam that was time to go? I'm talking about who the gen pop saw as in the wrong... most did not flock to defend Disney... they saw it as some corporate scam that finally was being taken down.. Disney was pretty much the target of the most direct, blatant, outright cheered political driven retribution I can think of in any recent memory... and the gen pop thinks DeSantis was eliminating corporate benefits and DEI non-sense. That's the PR battle Disney lost.

Prince-121 days ago

Oh Ronnie didn't need Disney's help to accomplish that. He was never going to be president.

MR.Dis21 days ago

Disney won in one respect, this incident totally destroyed a certain Govenors hope of ever being seen as Presidential material.

mkt21 days ago

That’s a fair framing if you’re evaluating from a strictly structural standpoint Yes, Disney no longer controls the board, and yes, they negotiated toward a new normal rather than scorched-earth resistance. But to say they “lost the PR battle”? I strongly disagree. Florida came off as punitive, erratic, and willing to jeopardize thousands of high-paying jobs over a political tantrum. The Lake Nona cancellation - whether coincidental or not - felt like fallout, and perception did the heavy lifting. That loss is now linked to the state’s actions. No press release needed. Florida is viewed as having cost the region several thousand high earners, along with their housing demand, business growth, and tax revenue. That’s not just bad optics. That’s third-world-level policy sabotage. Meanwhile, Disney kept building. The board that was supposed to rein them in greenlit a $17B expansion. Bond authority stayed. Infrastructure control stayed. Functionally, nothing stopped. Sure, the expansion brings jobs. But they're mostly tourism and hospitality roles. These aren't six-figure white collar transfers — they're hourly park positions. Florida traded a long-term white-collar boom for a short-term PR win and a few more popcorn carts. That’s not a victory. That’s a downgrade. If anything, Disney let Florida win the headline, then quietly walked away with the outcome. That’s not “dealing with the devil.” That’s knowing when to let the devil shake his fist at a cloud while you pour the foundation for your next park expansion.

LAKid5321 days ago

Precisely

UNCgolf21 days ago

Indeed. And while I wish Disney had fought to the end, that was never likely. Publicly traded corporations just don't really operate that way. For example, I've represented corporate clients who had a good chance of prevailing against the government in regulatory investigations, but they would have spent more on the fight than they spent on the settlement -- so they settled. There's always going to be a cost/benefit analysis (which often involves more than just the potential legal fees) regardless of whether they think they're right. Incidentally, this is one of the reasons Harvard is more likely to fight to the end in their current litigation (although that's certainly not guaranteed). They don't have to worry about shareholders, although they do have some other outside concerns.