DeSantis' CFTOD District Administrator claims employee morale has increased despite reports of half of its senior leadership leaving

19 days ago in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

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Posted: Wednesday November 15, 2023 11:42am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Speaking at today's Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board of supervisors meeting, the district administrator, Glen Gilzean, said that morale at the district has increased since taking over Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Gilzean pointed to his open-door policy and said that some staff have shared that this was the first time they've had a chance to meet with the district administrator.

CFTOD Administrator Glen Gilzean

Gilzean said, "I have met with multiple departments across the district for our coffee and conversation, collecting countless amounts of feedback and acting on it as we increase the employees' well-being and work-life balance. Meeting with the fire department in the evening for dinner and on weekends. All have further increased morale throughout the district."

Today's comments come amid numerous recent reports of mass resignations. Over thirty employees have resigned from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District since the DeSantis-appointed board took over. Departures include almost half of the district's senior leadership following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' controversial takeover of the district, raising serious concerns about operational stability and political influence.

Previously known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, CFTOD has seen departures at every level - from the district administrator and chief financial officer to crucial roles in public works, procurement, and facilities management.

In a publically released employee exit survey, a former executive assistant at CFTOD said, "The legacy of this special district is being destroyed by those who have been placed in power here. The Board of Supervisors and the new District Administrator could care less about the work that needs to be done for the taxpayers. They claim transparency and bridge building; I see non-transparency and bridge burning."

The district encompasses approximately 25,000 acres in both Orange and Osceola counties, servicing 24 landowners, including Walt Disney World.

Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

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Stripes1 minute ago

If this was an objective report, they would’ve spent most of the ink detailing how uniquely terrible and anti-American the current governance structure is. “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” -Thomas Jefferson There is no consent from the governed here, Mr. Jefferson.

Bullseye19671 hour ago

You are a rock star!!!!! Thank you for all the gems you find!

mikejs784 hours ago

There's an exemption in the IRS code for companies giving their employees a benefit that involves a company's own product and essentially results in no additional cost for the company. An example given by the IRS is airlines giving free airline tickets to employees on non-full flights - the "excess capacity" exemption. So Disney themselves are likely ok.

Figgy15 hours ago

What a lot of people, looking at you the organization formerly known as RC, is that what was/is considered taxable has changed over the past 60 years. What may need to be counted as income since the last overhaul may not have before then.

Brian5 hours ago

RCID would have been responsible for withholding the tax, just the same as they would for other fringe benefits. This amount would also be included as part of the employee's W-2 statement. I don't believe that their public sector status would have any bearing on its taxability.

mikejs785 hours ago

So I looked at the exhibit which the board packet claimed that Disney administered the payroll and that it was once paid for by Disney. There is no supporting documentary evidence for this in the relevant exhibit (2-B). The exhibit claims that Disney ran payroll until 1998, and that it was free until then. This is supposedly based on interviews with "Employee 1" and "Employee 2". All of the documentary evidence is from 2018-2021.

mkt6 hours ago

Good news. Florida doesn't have an income tax, and DeSantis's voice has no power at the IRS.

DCBaker6 hours ago

There are individual links for each exhibit on the CFTOD website - you can find them all at this link.

flynnibus6 hours ago

The portion i am referring to is in the board packet. But dcbaker linked to the website with all the exhibits as well

flynnibus6 hours ago

It’s a complicated topic that includes specific details about the employer… the benefit… etc. it’s very hard to generalize or compare across situations. Best handled by the accountants

mikejs786 hours ago

I read it. Where are the exhibits?

maxairmike6 hours ago

That’s what gets me. This feels like something that is either so commonplace that the rules aren’t clear enough/there’s no desire to enforce outside of digging for dirt, or there’s some serious misrepresentation happening by the CFTOD and/or their hired guns.

mkt6 hours ago

There may be some regulatory exceptions to the rule, but I'm far too tired and have stopped caring enough to bother looking up specifics. In my case, I was given Detroit tigers tickets and NAIAS tickets from work and they appeared as "income" on my next paystub with taxes withheld. However, my employee discount on a car purchase - whose value was far higher than the tickets - was not considered taxable income.