1The battle is ongoing between The Central Florida Oversight Tourism District and Walt Disney World. According to a report, news has come out stating that a law professor will be paid a lot of money to begin a “reform” project from the previous district board.
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The Disney World vs. Reedy Creek Battle
Not to be mistaken for the DeSantis vs. Disney World lawsuit, the Central Florida Oversight Tourism District and Disney feud are separate but relate in many ways. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis oversees the Reedy Creek district, the governing district for WDW. Recently, new information has surfaced regarding the governing section for Disney, leading to some updates on the lawsuit between the two. Recently, Disney Firefighters spoke out against the actions of DeSantis’ new board, which seems to be pushing back against the board. One firefighter said the following:
“This benefit is intangible and generational. We have retirees, some of them here today, who work their entire careers and work and earn this benefit for the rest of their lives. This allows me to bring my children to the parks and eventually my grandchildren.”
Per a tweet from Scott Gustin:
Pete Simon, a Reedy Creek firefighter, made a powerful statement during today’s CFTOD meeting about the impact of removing generational benefits for families.
“This week marks the first brick being pulled in the dismantling of the district … my only question is, what’s next?”
Pete Simon, a Reedy Creek firefighter, made a powerful statement during today’s CFTOD meeting about the impact of removing generational benefits for families.
“This week marks the first brick being pulled in the dismantling of the district … my only question is, what’s next?” pic.twitter.com/bzt8tW5fc8
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) August 23, 2023
In other news, Glen Gilzean, the Chairman of Florida’s ethics commission, resigned after growing concern that he was breaking Florida state law. The state forbids public figures to serve on the panel, and Gilzean is currently serving as a public figure, leading to his official resignation just yesterday.
Today, more news has come out about the Central Florida Oversight Tourism District looking to pay a law professor to begin a “reform” project that will look into the district’s pass, a report claims.
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Central Florida Oversight Tourism District Hires Law Professor for “Reform” Project
As reported today by WDWMagic, the district hired a law professor to look into past “legal and constitutional authority and infirmities and structural strengths and abnormalities.” The report being constructed by the law professor, Professor Kochan, will include a 50-page report and bring the professor $110,000 for phase one of the project, according to WDWMagic. The information is intended to make initial recommendations for the district’s reform, but more details will be released as the phases roll out for this massive project.
The Board Chairman said the following on this matter:
“For over 56 years, Disney had their own governmentally controlled kingdom which, while sparking economic growth for central Florida, also produced many negative outcomes for the taxpayers, employees, and citizens of Orange and Osceola Counties.
In the past six months, our Board has adopted new policies and practices to fix some of the glaring issues. To discover and solve more latent problems, the Board is turning to Professor Kochan to elucidate some of the economic and legal implications the old structure created and provide recommendations to further reform the District to make it more responsive to the citizens of central Florida.”
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Here’s the scoop from a retweet by industry insider and journalist Scott Gustin at the end of July. Disney had a bit of a hiccup – they tried to get Judge Margaret Schreiber to toss out a lawsuit that the Central Florida Tourism District slapped on them. This one’s different from the case the Florida Governor filed. But, surprise, surprise, the dismissal request didn’t quite work out. Hold onto your hats because this tangle is connected to DeSantis’s Reedy Creek board – the Governor’s chosen board. Long story short, DeSantis scored a win, and Disney, well, not so much—tough break for the Mouse House.
According to Scott Gustin’s tweet:
NEW: Disney failed in its attempt to have Judge Margaret Schreiber dismiss a lawsuit filed in May by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Important: This case is separate from Disney’s lawsuit that claims DeSantis “weaponized” state government against the company.
NEW: Disney failed in its attempt to have Judge Margaret Schreiber dismiss a lawsuit filed in May by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Important: This case is separate from Disney's lawsuit that claims DeSantis "weaponized" state government against the company. https://t.co/zjaMDqSKZP
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 28, 2023
According to what that Twitter user shared, there seems to be a WDW lawsuit. The ones pointing fingers are the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. They’re dealing with past agreements between these two players a while back. So, the deal is the district probably gets a shot at filing again, and the whole legal dance keeps going.
No other news has come out besides the information above, but be sure to follow Inside The Magic for the latest news on this ongoing battle between Disney, DeSantis, and the governing district.
The governing district for Disney World hired a law professor to create a “reform” project to give the professor a considerable payday.