Florida Governor Ron DeSantis steps up his battle with Disney and will direct legislators to discuss the termination of Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District

Apr 19, 2022 in "The Walt Disney Company"

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Posted: Tuesday April 19, 2022 10:37am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

In a press conference today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has escalated his offensive action toward Disney and has announced plans to terminate Walt Disney World's Reedy Creek Improvement District.

DeSantis said during the press conference that the Florida state legislator will discuss this week the termination of all special districts created prior to 1968. Disney's Reedy Creek District was created in 1967 ahead of the construction of Walt Disney World.

The creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 1967 allowed Disney the luxury of establishing its own independent government that handles many aspects of the Walt Disney World property, including emergency services, infrastructure, and construction permitting. It remains unclear how the elimination of Reedy Creek could actually be implemented and how Disney would respond.

Speaking in The Villages retirement community, DeSantis said, "I am announcing today that we are expanding the call of what they are going to be considering this week. And so yes, they will be considering their congressional map. But they also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968. And that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District."

This latest move follows escalating tensions between DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Chapek regarding Disney's opposition to Florida's "Don't Say Gay Bill."

Disney has suspended all political donations in the state of Florida in response to the bill.

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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:

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

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

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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.

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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.