Tag: Reedy Creek Improvement District
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Disney Pauses Federal Lawsuit Against Governor DeSantis
On Monday, a federal appellate court allowed Disney to pause its lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for two months. Disney had requested the pause on Friday. This was after Disney reached a settlement with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and creating a path forward for the company and district. The settlement also saw…
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Disney and Governor Ron DeSantis’ Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board Reach Settlement
Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have reached a settlement ending several state lawsuits between the two. On Wednesday morning, the board for the former Reedy Creek Improvement District voted to accept a deal to end quite a bit of the litigation between Disney and Florida governing leaders. This new agreement also addresses…
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Craig Mateer to Board Overseeing Disney District
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed Craig Mateer to the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. This is the district where most of Walt Disney World Resort resides. Mateer replaces Martin Garcia, who resigned as chairman of the board earlier this month. Under Florida state law, the governor now appoints members to the…
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Chairman of the Board Martin Garcia Departs Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Post
Martin Garcia, the chairman of the board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, is leaving the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. His departure comes shortly after the district administrator left his role to take on the responsibility of being the interim elections supervisor in Orange County. This new role came at half of his…
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Claims Success with Disney District Takeover
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to claim that the former Reedy Creek Improvement District has been improved thanks to his actions. This district is the home for most of Walt Disney World Resort. In 2023, the district was dissolved and replaced by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The new version of this district has…
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Disney Appeals Lawsuit Against Governor DeSantis After Judge’s Dismissal
Disney is appealing a judge’s decision to dismiss its lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Florida leaders. Judge Allen Winsor of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee dismissed the initial lawsuit in its entirety on Wednesday. Disney had sued the Governor and other Florida leaders alleging that the…
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New Name and Logo Revealed for Former Reedy Creek Fire Department
Yesterday, a new logo and name was revealed for the former Reedy Creek Fire Department. At a special event, Fire Chief Ferrari revealed that the fire department is now known simply as District Fire Department. The new name was determined by a vote of all 220 public safety personnel in the department. Chief Ferrari said…
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Disney and Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Agree on June Trial Date
Disney and the Governor DeSantis controlled Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have reached an agreement for when a trial will be held regarding a public records lawsuit. This lawsuit was brought by Disney against Governor DeSantis and the district and accuses both parties withholding public records it had requested as part of another ongoing lawsuit.The…
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Andrew Warren Decision Used in Disney Lawsuit Against Governor DeSantis
A ruling about former Andrew Warren’s lawsuit against Governor DeSantis has been filed by The Walt Disney Company in its own lawsuit against the Governor. This comes after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Warren’s suspension by Governor DeSantis after Warren opposed efforts to criminalize abortion and gender-transition treatments for children. This was…
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Florida Republican House Speaker Says No to Disney District Legislation Changes
The Republican House Speaker in Florida has said no to legislation that would return the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to its former iteration, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The district is the home to most of Walt Disney World Resort. While talking to reporters on Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Renner said that he still…
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Two Communities Within the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Prepare For End of Services Agreement
Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake met this last Wednesday to prepare for the end of a services agreement with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. This will lead to the district no longer providing most government services for these two communities. This transition will take place on January 16, 2024. The change comes as…
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Florida Legislators Move Forward With Bill To Return To Reedy Creek Improvement District
Florida legislators in the Florida Senate moved forward with a bill that would return the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) to its previous iteration, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This effort to repeal the legislation that dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced it with the CFTOD, which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis controlled…
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Disney Sues Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Over Public Records Request
The Walt Disney Company has sued the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District, over a failure for the district to release public records. In the lawsuit, Disney accuses the district of failing to preserve and turn over public records in violation of Florida law and the state’s constitution. Disney asked…
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Federal Judge Considers Dismissal of Disney Lawsuit Against Governor DeSantis
A federal judge is now considering a request by lawyers for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to have a lawsuit against the Governor and other Floridian leaders dismissed. The lawsuit was filed by Disney and accuses Governor DeSantis and other Florida leaders of retaliating against the company for using its protected free speech when it spoke…
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Attorneys for Governor Ron DeSantis Ask Federal Judge to Dismiss Disney’s Free-Speech Lawsuit
Attorneys for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are asking a federal judge to dismiss a free-speech lawsuit that was brought against it by The Walt Disney Company. The lawsuit was filed after Governor DeSantis and the Florida state legislature dissolved the former Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The…
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Orange County Lawmakers Begin Process to Repeal Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Bill and Return to Reedy Creek
Lawmakers from Orange County, Florida met on Wednesday to put together legislation to repeal the bill the dissolved the former Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. This is one step towards a return to the structure that governed the district, where most of Walt Disney World Resort…
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New Study: Disney Generates $40 Billion in Annual Economic Impact in Florida and Over Quarter of a Million Jobs
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2023) – Walt Disney World Resort, one of the world’s most visited vacation destinations, generated $40 billion in economic impact across the state and more than a quarter of a million total jobs in fiscal year 2022, according to a new study from Oxford Economicsannounced today. The study found that Disney,…
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Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Hearing Delayed After District and Governor DeSantis Drag Feet
A judge has ruled that the hearing for a lawsuit will be moved from December 2023 to March 2024 after Disney filed a motion for continuance. Disney said that it filed this motion “because the district has not yet produced vital discovery [and] the current date deprives Disney of the opportunity to ‘present facts essential…
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Others Will Be Punished for “Disfavored” Views if Governor DeSantis Wins in Lawsuit Disney Says
Disney has issued another warning about the stakes of a lawsuit it is embroiled in with Governor DeSantis and other Florida leaders regarding the future of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. In a filing on Monday, Disney claimed that its free speech was violated and that if Governor DeSantis wins this lawsuit, the company…
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Disney Says Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is Dragging Feet on Document Delivery
As the feud continues between Disney and Governor DeSantis, there is no shortage of controversy. The most recent has to do with documents that Disney has requested from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District for a state lawsuit that is one of two lawsuits that could determine the future design and development decisions for the…
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Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Files Motion to Dismiss Disney Countersuit
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has filed a motion to dismiss a countersuit that was brought against the district and Governor DeSantis by Disney. This comes as the feud over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District continues to wage on at both a state level and federal level in the courts. This motion to…
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Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Votes to Replace Disney Pass Perks With $3,000 Stipend
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted on Wednesday to replace perks that employees and retirees of the district received previously with a larger paycheck instead. The district board voted on a $3,000 stipend instead of Disney passes and Disney discounts that were once offered. This new offering last for two years before it is…
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Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Reconsiders its Plan to Elminate Annual Pass Perks for Employees
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is reconsidering its plan to eliminate annual pass perks for its employees. At a meeting on Wednesday night, district administrator Glen Gilzean shared that the district is looking for an alternative solution for its employees Walt Disney World Annual Pass benefits. This update comes after Gilzean emailed employees last…
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Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Plans to Cut More Than $3 Million on Walt Disney World Area Road Maintenance
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is cutting more than $3 million on road maintenance for Walt Disney World Resort. This cut comes as legal fees continue to rise for the district. The news comes from a proposed budget for the district for 2024. The new budget notes that “Repairs and maintenance services decreased due…
