The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District held its first board of supervisors meeting yesterday, the first time since the settlement agreement with Disney was reached.
In a significant shift from its beginnings in 2023 as a Ron DeSantis-directed takeover of Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District, the meeting felt more like an actual gathering of governance and less like a political spectacle.
Instead of the now departed CFTOD Chairman Martin Garcia railing against Disney, the agenda included awarding contracts for chilled water, network security and video upgrades, waste stream disposal, recycling efforts, energy plant upgrades, sediment removal, landscaping improvements, and a twenty-year contract for the purchase of 74.5 megawatts of solar energy.
Reporting on the district's management was newly appointed CFTOD administrator Stephanie Kopelousos. Also in attendance was new board member Craig Mateer.
Announced in late March, the Walt Disney Company and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District reached a settlement agreement that will potentially see both sides drop their respective lawsuits. Speaking earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger described the agreement as a "win-win" for Disney.
The key provisions of the agreement from Disney's perspective are that the district commits to reviewing and potentially revising the 2020 Comprehensive Plan, with consultations involving Disney. Furthermore, the subsequent negotiations for the new development agreement are tied to Disney's decision to either continue or halt its federal lawsuit against CFTOD and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, indicating the agreement's broad scope and potential impact on Disney's operations.
Responding to a question about investing in the parks during a recent investors call, Iger said, "The agreement we reached with the Central Florida tourism oversight district last week will actually enable us to pursue the kinds of significant investment in our Florida parks that you're talking about. We achieved a win-win result with that deal. In terms of our ability to pursue future development opportunities, but also in terms of the 1000s of direct and indirect jobs, and economic opportunity in the state that will come with our investment in new projects. So as we've discussed regarding our $60 billion capital expenditure plans, is much more coming to our parks around the world, including in Florida."
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