News Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

[AdventureHasAName]

The Reedy Creek Improvement District created a permitting process and building codes that were almost nonexistent. Florida did not get a uniform state building code until 2001, prior to which the EPCOT Building Code was a model code local jurisdictions could adopt for their own use.

Even today, permitting through Reedy Creek Improvement District is not an easy process. The District is known for being very strict and more rigid than the counties or City. This is not just in regards to the EPCOT Building Code which must be more restrictive than the Florida Building Code but also in terms of the actual bureaucracy of how things are done. You follow the District’s rules, no exceptions and they dictate to Disney how to have documents prepared.

Walt Disney Imagineering is not a large company and they are the legal owner of all new projects. Any threshold they would hit would be hit by many others, and that’s ignoring the potential of shell companies.

The pain in the is not adhering to the building codes or drawing plans that adhere to the building codes. The pain in the is waiting for the permits to be approved. That is the primary service that RCID provided to Disney; fasttrack permit approval. If they have to go through the same process every other company in the county has to go through, progress will grind to a halt.

I run a non-profit in huge city that owns and manages a four acre park open to the public. It's basically grass, tennis courts and a parking lot. I just spent two years waiting for the city to approve our permit for resurfacing the parking lot asphalt. Then, when it was approved (after two years), we went back and said, "You know, we have more money now, can we just have the permit approved to surface the new lot with paving stones that will look nicer?" and the city responded by saying we'd have to start the permit approval process all over again.

This is for a single 10 car parking lot. If Disney has to go through this for everything that changes at the resort, it will crush them. They know this. That is why management is silent right now.

 

[Animal_Kingdom_09]

Full statement:

https://emma.msrb.org/P21631346.pdf

Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board::EMMA

emma.msrb.org

Thanks! Much like the covid thread, I can't read or type fast enough to keep up.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

The pain in the *** is not adhering to the building codes or drawing plans that adhere to the building codes. The pain in the *** is waiting for the permits to be approved. That is the primary service that RCID provided to Disney; fasttrack permit approval. If they have to go through the same process every other company in the county has to go through, progress will grind to a halt.

I run a non-profit in huge city that owns and manages a four acre park open to the public. It's basically grass, tennis courts and a parking lot. I just spent two years waiting for the city to approve our permit for resurfacing the parking lot asphalt. Then, when it was approved (after two years), we went back and said, "You know, we have more money now, can we just have the permit approved to surface the new lot with paving stones that will look nicer?" and the city responded by saying we'd have to start the permit approval process all over again.

This is for a single 10 car parking lot. If Disney has to go through this for everything that changes at the resort, it will crush them. They know this. That is why management is silent right now.

I get that. But Universal builds projects in half the time and they don’t have the same arrangement.

 

[Lilofan]

The pain in the *** is not adhering to the building codes or drawing plans that adhere to the building codes. The pain in the *** is waiting for the permits to be approved. That is the primary service that RCID provided to Disney; fasttrack permit approval. If they have to go through the same process every other company in the county has to go through, progress will grind to a halt.

I run a non-profit in huge city that owns and manages a four acre park open to the public. It's basically grass, tennis courts and a parking lot. I just spent two years waiting for the city to approve our permit for resurfacing the parking lot asphalt. Then, when it was approved (after two years), we went back and said, "You know, we have more money now, can we just have the permit approved to surface the new lot with paving stones that will look nicer?" and the city responded by saying we'd have to start the permit approval process all over again.

This is for a single 10 car parking lot. If Disney has to go through this for everything that changes at the resort, it will crush them. They know this. That is why management is silent right now.

A friend texted me that her friend recently started a job with RCID. She is now worried if she will still be employed in a year.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The pain in the *** is not adhering to the building codes or drawing plans that adhere to the building codes. The pain in the *** is waiting for the permits to be approved. That is the primary service that RCID provided to Disney; fasttrack permit approval. If they have to go through the same process every other company in the county has to go through, progress will grind to a halt.

I run a non-profit in huge city that owns and manages a four acre park open to the public. It's basically grass, tennis courts and a parking lot. I just spent two years waiting for the city to approve our permit for resurfacing the parking lot asphalt. Then, when it was approved (after two years), we went back and said, "You know, we have more money now, can we just have the permit approved to surface the new lot with paving stones that will look nicer?" and the city responded by saying we'd have to start the permit approval process all over again.

This is for a single 10 car parking lot. If Disney has to go through this for everything that changes at the resort, it will crush them. They know this. That is why management is silent right now.

The process through Reedy Creek is not significantly faster than Orange County. The biggest local permitting hurdle in terms of time is the South Florida Water Management District.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

A friend texted me that her friend recently started a job with RCID. She is now worried if she will still be employed in a year.

My guess is the Orange County permitting office will be hiring.

 

[Lilofan]

My guess is the Orange County permitting office will be hiring.

That's my guess too but in mergers and acquisitions there are scenarios of layoffs and bringing in their own staff.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Do you mean that if Reedy Creek is removed from the permitting equation, we can expect even slower "progress" than the already glacial pace things move at WDW?

 

[ctrlaltdel]

That's my guess too but in mergers and acquisitions there are scenarios of layoffs and bringing in their own staff.

Obviously slightly different in government. I would have to believe a lot of front-line RCID employees would be brought on to take on the considerable additional workload.

 

[Goofyernmost]

If you were talking about customers or public sentiment - you'd have a point. But we're talking about government reaction - not individuals. One is protected against by the first amendment to our constitution - the other is not.

And to get even deeper, the first amendment is specifically to say that if you criticize the GOVERNMENT, they cannot come after you in any form. It doesn't protect the government nor does is apply to anything other than that. Any statement that harms others can be tested and can be required to pay some form of compensation for the harm done. The alleged "don't say gay" bill, by any name is an object of it's own and can be challenged as unconstitutional and harmful to the public. It has nothing at all to do with Disney. And I suspect it will be challenged on its own many times. Gov. DeSenseless can only be in line for any lawsuit connected to what Chapak said if it were directed at Chapak personally. He isn't doing that, however, TWDC can and probably will take that to court because it was a legal and legislative decision made by the elected representatives of Florida. He was clever enough to not go directly after big Bob. But he still might have bumped up against a object bigger, stronger and richer then he is. We will see. Disney doesn't have dozens of Lawyer on their payroll for nothing.

It doesn't matter when it was signed, it is still valid and as such I would think it will be difficult to enforce dissolving it. The governor of Florida, is forcing his personal opinion in an effort to gain some points with those that are either unable or to lazy to understand that their leaders are not acting in the best interest of the public in many cases. The real thing is if the voters of Florida keep those legislators in place, it is their business and not the business of the rest of us until it directly affects the rest of us. As people that don't vote in Florida we are powerless to fix it.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I get that. But Universal builds projects in half the time and they don’t have the same arrangement.

Universal Orlando Resort North Campus is located in the City of Orlando so they don’t go through Orange County for permitting. The new South Campus is in unincorporated Orange County and has gone through their permitting process.

 

[Joel]

And to get even deeper, the first amendment is specifically to say that if you criticize the GOVERNMENT, they cannot come after you in any form. It doesn't protect the government nor does is apply to anything other than that.

Not remotely true.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Not remotely true.

No' it is true. You cannot slander others and call it free speech. It was put in to avoid a political prisoner scenario and to allow people the right to peacefully protest the government. However, as usual the government reacts anyway in many recent cases and as long as the rest of us wimp out and say or do nothing, they get away with it. It is there to keep protestors out of prison and only that reason. We just don't bother to find out about that stuff and blindly believe others and never question.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Disney almost built a ski resort once. The environmentalists killed it.

Yesterland: Walt Disney’s Mineral King

www.yesterland.com

Right but that has nothing to do with this. There are also many places in Colorado that had a painful abundance of snow.

 

[Tom P.]

No' it is true. You cannot slander others and call it free speech. It was put in to avoid a political prisoner scenario and to allow people the right to peacefully protest the government. However, as usual the government reacts anyway in many recent cases and as long as the rest of us wimp out and say or do nothing, they get away with it. It is there to keep protestors out of prison and only that reason. We just don't bother to find out about that stuff and blindly believe others and never question.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

That's a pretty succinct and clear statement that says nothing that you claim it does.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

A very clear conclusion from this thread is that a lot of people don't actually believe in free speech even if they think they do.

This seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon, arguing politics with my friends back in the 90s felt like a debate club, no one mocked anyone, no one silenced anyone, no one called anyone names… we just argued our points and it was fun. Sometimes we’d change minds, usually we wouldn’t, often we’d find a lot of common ground.

Now if people disagree the name calling instantly begins, the mocking instantly begins, and in many cases violence or the threat of violence is used to silence the other side.

We seem to be losing our ability to agree to disagree.

Thankfully the government usually abides by free speech rules. Chick Fil A and Florida currently being the most noticeable exceptions.

It time to focus Anaheim as a flagship. Drop WDW and leave FL in dust.

The problem is Disney has been fighting with CA and Anaheim longer than they’ve been fighting with FL. Anaheim currently has a fairly pro-Disney government but for most of the last decade they’ve been dealing with a very anti-Disney government and it’s caused Disney to abandon hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in Anaheim.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

The problem is Disney has been fighting with CA and Anaheim longer than they’ve been fighting with FL. Anaheim currently has a fairly pro-Disney government but for most of the last decade they’ve been dealing with a very anti-Disney government and it’s caused Disney to abandon hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in Anaheim.

Good point. “Disney Forward” is the opening step towards tentatively getting basic zoning and permitting clearances from Anaheim that it enjoys without any hurdles within the RCID.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The problem is Disney has been fighting with CA and Anaheim longer than they’ve been fighting with FL. Anaheim currently has a fairly pro-Disney government but for most of the last decade they’ve been dealing with a very anti-Disney government and it’s caused Disney to abandon hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in Anaheim.

This has been so completely overblown. Disney cancelled one, single lousy project over disagreements with the City. One. The Eastern Gateway was a disaster of a project and the only one cancelled due to disagreements. The fourth hotel was cancelled over new rules imposed by the minimum wage referendum that the city opposed and didn’t think should apply to the project.

The city also has almost no say in the main area that people think of as the Disneyland Resort. The fourth hotel never went before the city for zoning approval. The new DVC tower did not get zoning approval. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway didn’t get zoning approval. The changes to Downtown Disney didn’t get zoning approval.

 

[Archie123]

A friend texted

Just watched an interview of the Florida Speaker of the House. He said that Florida government has been looking at the "special tax status for Disney since 2019".View attachment 634667

Lol, yeah, uh uh sure.

 

[GhostHost1000]

While elons getting funding to buy twitter maybe he could buy the Disney parks and put some major money in it to expand? lol