DeSantis' CFTOD cancels today's meeting amid reports of a million-dollar deal with a close associate of the board's CEO

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Posted: Wednesday October 25, 2023 9:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Today's planned board meeting of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has been canceled.

A CFTOD meeting was planned for today but has now been cancelled

The cancellation comes alongside news that CFTOD CEO Glen Gilzean reportedly awarded a million-dollar 911 service contract to a close associate of Gilzean and Ron DeSantis, Freddie Figgers. Figgers is also a member of the ethics commission that Glen Gilzean was a part of until he was forced to leave the position due to a conflict of interest with his position as CEO of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

WFTV9 in Orlando reports that according to emails, CFTOD employees contacted Figgers as the CEO of Figgers communication consulting firm for his services in early August. Then, less than a week later, a contract was sent over for approval, and the deal was done without open bids from other companies.

According to a notice posted on the CFTOD website, all public hearings and other agenda items previously scheduled for the October 25, 2023 Board of Supervisors meeting are continued to the regular CFTOD Board of Supervisors meeting set for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

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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.