Disney may have moved to protect its interests over Reedy Creek land in the months before the new DeSantis appointed board members took control

Mar 29, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

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Posted: Wednesday March 29, 2023 11:18am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The new Reedy Creek board appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has retained high-profile D.C. law firm Cooper & Kirk for what the board describes as "constitutional and contract matters and potential legal challenges for matters involving the District that occurred under the prior board of supervisors and that may involve the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiary and related entities."

At today's special board meeting, the legal council for the new board said that various agreements were made over the past several months that were "unusual" and "suspect."

In a statement to WESH news, Disney said, "All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida's Government in the Sunshine law."

Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

Local WESH news reporter Bob Hzaen is reporting that a recent Developer Agreement confirms Disney's right to Reedy Creek Improvement District land for the next 30 years and cannot be changed by the new board.

The bill that DeSantis has signed in late February 2023 replaces the Reedy Creek governing body's board with five members appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In addition, the Reedy Creek Improvement District will be renamed "Central Florida Tourism Oversight District." Disney will be responsible for paying hundreds of millions in outstanding Reedy Creek debt.

Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

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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

lazyboy97o8 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.