It appears Disney is slowly making its way back on top in the Sunshine State with a recent ruling in favor of disbanding the CFTOD and bringing back the original Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The battle between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has died down, but in the quiet, it appears Disney might be coming out on top. According to the latest reports, a bill that moves to dissolve the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and reinstate the Reedy Creek Improvement District has advanced and might become a legal reality soon.
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Orange County Legislative Delegation Advances a Local Bill to Reverse the Removal of Disney’s Self-Governance
“It’s not working,” Senator Linda Stweart commented. “And we have had 10 months.”
Senator Stewart is an Orlando Democrat who has been advocating for Disney to get back its self-governing status. The Senator has previously gone on record to state that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has proved disastrous, and its time to return things to the status quo with Disney handling its business.
As Florida Politics reported, “Stewart said it’s no surprise the district has failed considering the short amount of time that went into crafting a new government to replace one in existence for decades.”
“You never rush legislation because this is what you run into,” she added. “We need to go back to square one and see what we can do.”
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However, while Senator Linda Stewart believes that Gov. DeSantis’s bill to dissolve the Disney district was haphazard, Rep. Carolina Amesty, a Windermere Republican, believes the same about Senator Stewart’s bill.
Amesty criticized that Stewart’s bill still has no House sponsor, and hasn’t gone through bill drafting, despite the deadline already passing for bills for consideration in the 2024 Session.
For now, it remains to be seen whether this will be passed in the House as well, and what further legislative developments it might have.
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CFTOD’s Challenges in Recent Months
Allegedly, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District was created in response to former Disney CEO Bob Chapek speaking out against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, more formally known as the Parental Rights in Education Act.
In addition, since the district has come into play, “As of November, 40 of the district’s 370 employees quit, district administrator Glen Gilzean had to resign his position on the state Commission on Ethics due to a conflict of interest, and complaints have arisen about the handling of all government revenues.”
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