DeSantis’ Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board Introducing ‘Superior Authority’ Resolution in Latest Act Against Disney

Shannen Ace

Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom

DeSantis’ Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board Introducing ‘Superior Authority’ Resolution in Latest Act Against Disney

The Board of Supervisors of the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which takes over Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, is planning a resolution for “Superior Authority” over the district.

Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom

Resolution No. 639 will be introduced at the next meeting, which was postponed to April 19. It intends to add a new section to the RCID Land Development Regulations: section 7-20.13. This would ensure the new board has authority over the “reviewing, processing, evaluating, commenting on and approving, approving with conditions or denying applications for development orders throughout the District, including within the jurisdictional limits of City of Lake Buena Vista and the City of Bay Lake.”

Another update to section 7 would replace the Planning Board with the Board of Supervisors. The five-member Planning Board is currently a separate Advisory Board. If the Board of Supervisors takes over, that means they would be “the final decision-making authority for the District” and that “no further administrative appeal is available” after the board has made a decision.

The members of the Planning Board have term limits of three years, but the new amendment would remove term limits.

DeSantis v. Disney: Part II

While tensions cooled between Governor DeSantis and Disney as last year came to a close, the spark reignited once again earlier this year when Disney passed several laws which restricted the power of his newly-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, designed to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The new board was designed as retaliation for Disney’s outspoken response to a bill last year which restricted educators from teaching any LGBTQ+-related concepts to students.

Through the final meeting of the Reedy Creek Improvement District’s board, which was controlled by Disney, the board passed a number of restrictive covenants which handed most of the District’s power to Disney for a period of at least thirty years, but also lasting until after the death of the final living descendant of King Charles III.

The move shocked DeSantis and his board, who expressed disbelief at Disney’s actions and retained multiple law firms to fight the agreement in court. At the time, the Executive Office of the Governor reached out to WDWNT with this statement from Communications Director Taryn Fenske:

“The Executive Office of the Governor is aware of Disney’s last-ditch efforts to execute contracts just before ratifying the new law that transfers rights and authorities from the former Reedy Creek Improvement District to Disney. An initial review suggests these agreements may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law. We are pleased the new Governor-appointed board retained multiple financial and legal firms to conduct audits and investigate Disney’s past behavior.”

Disney responded with their own statement:

“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida Government in the Sunshine law.”

Earlier this month at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Bob Iger accused Gov. DeSantis of punishing Disney for exercising their right to free speech. “We love the state of Florida,” he said, citing the company’s various investments in the community over the years and saying he respected and appreciated what the state has done for Disney in the past. “Any action that thwarts these efforts simply to retaliate is anti-business and anti-Florida.”

DeSantis recently ordered a criminal investigation into Disney and the old board.

DeSantis also promised to double down on his efforts to punish Disney through methods both in the Legislature and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board. Notably, he promised to hike Disney’s hotel taxes and institute tolls on the roads around Walt Disney World Resort property now administered by the CFTOB.

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