DeSantis appointed board outlines its reasons for declaring Disney's last Development Agreement with Reedy Creek null and void

Apr 24, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

Posted: Monday April 24, 2023 1:00pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors will meet on Wednesday to declare the February 8, 2023, Development Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants entered into by the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts void and unenforceable.

Ahead of the meeting, the board has released pages of legislative findings regarding the February 8 agreements that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will use to vote to nullify them.

Signed into effect on February 8, just as the Florida House passed the legislation to take control of Reedy Creek Improvement District, the new Developer Agreement gives Disney significant control of the RCID landing and prevents the new board making any changes to the agreement.

As previously mentioned by the board's lawyers at the last public meeting, much of the findings relate to Reedy Creek posting notices of the new Developer Agreement, including their timings and reaching all interested parties.

An example refers to Reedy Creek posting notices in the Orlando Sentinel.

Prior to the January 25 and February 8 Board meetings, the District published notices of intent to consider a development agreement in the Orlando Sentinel. The notices were published on January 18 and 27, respectively. The Orlando Sentinel is a newspaper of general circulation and readership in both Orange and Osceola Counties. Such notices published in the newspaper did not fully inform the public or other property owners of the purposes or contents of the development agreement and how other property owners and the taxpayers of the District were affected by such proposed agreement. 

The document goes on to say that "The benefits of the development agreement are entirely one-sided," and that, "The District receives nothing in return. The only theoretical benefit to the District in the text of the development agreement is that, when Disney obligates the District to construct public facilities that require land that Disney owns, Disney will not 'request payment for the land in excess of fair market value.'"

The final page of the legislative findings, point 92, is "Neither the development agreement nor the restrictive covenants are in the best interest of the District or the taxpayers or public, and the Board has no desire to readopt or ratify such instruments."

You can read the full text here, beginning on Page 8.

On Wednesday, the board will vote to approve the findings and will direct the litigation counsel to have Disney's agreements with Reedy Creek declared void and unenforceable and have them stricken from the public records of Orange and Osceola Counties.

Disney is yet to comment publically on the recent developments.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

View all comments →

JoeCamelSep 04, 2024

Juicy

DCBakerSep 04, 2024

The CFTOD has added a Board of Supervisors meeting next Wednesday, September 11, at 7pm. Here's the published agenda:

V_L_RaptorAug 10, 2024

I'm sensing an opportunity for Super High Intensity Training, here.

flyakiteAug 09, 2024

I am not sure if this is relevant to anyone anymore. So if not, sorry for the bump.

cranbizJul 30, 2024

Don't forget eNPS.

pdude81Jul 30, 2024

Don't taze me, bro

Nubs70Jul 30, 2024

Ack!!!!! That one is the worst..... I see your NPS and taise you a SalesForce

Batman'sParentsJul 30, 2024

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2024/07/29/disney-attorney-roy-payne-fishback-dominick.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_11&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s or for those who can't see past the paywall: The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's supervisor board voted July 24 to bring on attorney Roy Payne as in-house counsel. Until now, the entity that governs Walt Disney World property in Orlando had Fishback Dominick law firm on retainer. Stephanie Kopelousos, district administrator since March, said the district needs someone who can provide consistent, on-site legal guidance, which external counsel cannot always offer. Board members echoed the sentiment that having an in-house counsel like Payne would ensure the district's legal needs are met more effectively. “When I came in, I thought it was important for our team to have someone here day to day,” she said. Before introducing Payne, Kopelousos said she had conducted a search with help from Craig Mateer, the most recent addition to the board. Payne, who until now was chief assistant city attorney for Orlando, got the job in part due to his 33 years as a lawyer for local government. "The district, as you know, is a very unique animal,” Payne said. “It's a special kind of organization ... The learning curve is a little more than I was expecting because things are done quite differently here than in your typical municipal corporation or county, but it's been refreshing to be a part of this." The district’s latest approach to legal counsel is not a reflection on the quality of services provided by Winter Park-based Fishback Dominick, said Vice Chair Charbel Barakat. Crediting attorneys Kurt Ardaman and Daniel Langley of Fishback — who attended the board meeting — for putting the puzzle pieces of the district in place, he said, "You all have helped us build policies and procedures that have made this a best-in-practice, best-in-breed government going forward. We're going to continue to build on that work and the foundation you all have built." The district's board members were appointed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District special government as part of a year-long feud between the governor and Disney. Board members said Ardaman and Langley will help transition the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District from outside special counsel to in-house general counsel, particularly concerning ethical and conflict-of-interest issues. Payne said he already has a prior relationship with Fishback Dominick, having worked with the firm on cases during his tenure with Orlando.

JoeCamelJul 30, 2024

Gee I haven't checked my Net Promoter Score lately.......

Nubs70Jul 30, 2024

While a little buzz wordyish.... KPI's are at least measurable.

Nubs70Jul 30, 2024

You either have one or have been victimized by one that does.

mktJul 30, 2024

Unfortunately, I am currently bandwidth-constrained and unable to allocate resources to this task. Let's touch base later to reassess priorities. Understood. We'll ensure our communication is both robust and paradigm-shifting to adhere to best practices and maintain a gold standard. Indeed, they're strategically right-sizing to optimize individual cast member potential, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency and maximizing ROI.

GCTalesJul 30, 2024

I thought they were just right sizing to maximize individual cast member potential

VacationeerJul 29, 2024

Best practices are to squeeze robust and paradigm in somewhere