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

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Ran across this article in a different thread, and couldn't help but notice the irony that Uni is building a new entry road to their EPIC expansion which is priced at $300M, with Uni contributing at least $174. Where's the balance of that $ coming from? Taxpayer funds??? And yet there's no outrage at that...

Documents reveal name Universal plans to give Epic Universe road

The new park is expected to open by summer 2025.

www.mynews13.com

From the article: "As for the Kirkman Road extension, the project is expected to help with traffic in that part of the tourist corridor. When finished, it will add a 1.7-mile connector between Carrier Drive and Universal Boulevard. The project has an estimated cost of $300 million, with Universal providing at least $164 million for the road work. It’s expected to be completed in 2024."

Regardless of who pays for it I’m shocked at $300 million for 1.7 miles of road, some interchanges, and some flyovers. That’s an unbelievable amount of money.

 

[drnilescrane]

That‘s kinda my point. That interchange isn’t part of RCID and obviously directly benefits Disney but TWDC didn’t pay for it out of pocket. The local government paid for it using taxpayer dollars and I’m sure at the urging of Disney. We don’t know what would have happened in the past without RCID or what will happen in the future if it’s gone, but IMHO the local taxpayers would be footing more of the bill for roads (both construction and maintenance) without RCID. I thought that was a pretty obvious statement but apparently others disagree and think Disney would have just paid for every road themselves out of pocket and would pay to maintain them too. It’s an academic debate and we will never know the answer.

Well of course. People forget that Disneyland exists without RCID. Of course Disney paid for all that I-5 work in the late 1990s

Slight correction as well, here's the entire story: https://www.globest.com/sites/globe...e-financing-embarrassing-to-county-officials/

So it was 20 years ago and Disney actually got Orange to pay towards construction of an interchange in another county. I'm conflating it with the extra work that had to happen later to improve the 192 intersection where I'm sure something similar happened. Either way that road shouldn't exist.

 

[mmascari]

Well of course. People forget that Disneyland exists without RCID.

Because the 500 acres of Disneyland has the same type of road, water, sewer, electric, transit, fire, ems issues when compared to the 27,000 acres of Disney World?

There's no obvious difference between the two that creates differences in how those problems might be solved and managed?

Is there anther similar attraction in the US that cover more than 25,000 acres? How about 20,000, 10,000, or even over 5,000?

Not like a park where it's mostly open space. But, some other attraction that has a similar size of building infrastructure even if not the same number of visitors, but say at least 50% of the same number of visitors. Before someone suggests the Grand Canyon or some private hunting club on 50,000 acres of woods with 10,000 visitors a year.

It's not that you couldn't have WDW without RCID. It's that having it has created better ways to evolve it than not having it would have, at the scale of WDW.

 

[flynnibus]

Well of course. People forget that Disneyland exists without RCID. Of course Disney paid for all that I-5 work in the late 1990s

And everyone gets a nice hefty tax overlay district with the Anaheim Resort District with it's fatty hotel taxes!

That really stuck it to Disney!

That's the real alternative when comparing RCID existing or not... the ARD was done to modernize the area and look at how it was funded...

 

[GoofGoof]

Because the 500 acres of Disneyland has the same type of road, water, sewer, electric, transit, fire, ems issues when compared to the 27,000 acres of Disney World?

There's no obvious difference between the two that creates differences in how those problems might be solved and managed?

Is there anther similar attraction in the US that cover more than 25,000 acres? How about 20,000, 10,000, or even over 5,000?

Not like a park where it's mostly open space. But, some other attraction that has a similar size of building infrastructure even if not the same number of visitors, but say at least 50% of the same number of visitors. Before someone suggests the Grand Canyon or some private hunting club on 50,000 acres of woods with 10,000 visitors a year.

It's not that you couldn't have WDW without RCID. It's that having it has created better ways to evolve it than not having it would have, at the scale of WDW.

I think mostly everyone here would agree with this. WDW is pretty much one of a kind in terms of scale which creates a unique situation. That is why any comparisons to “other businesses” in FL is naive at best and in most cases based on an agenda that has very little to do with fairness or a level playing field.

 

[Rich Brownn]

The interchange is still horrible, between there and Champions Gate it backs up badly every day, multiple times and there is no real alternate routes to get over west to US 17.

Different interchange. It's also being rebuilt.

 

[Brian]

DeSantis: Special session on Disneyâs Reedy Creek expected next week

The Governor's press office confirmed this evening it "anticipates" a special session next week to address Reedy Creek and other items.

www.wftv.com

 

[lazyboy97o]

This suddenly cannot wait a month after nothing happening for months?

 

[drnilescrane]

This suddenly cannot wait a month after nothing happening for months?

He's a) been embarrassed by the plan that's not a plan and needs a shiny thing to keep the PR machine moving and b) is probably loosing the room while the Disney Tallahassee machine silently works.

The sooner they get a plan on the books - his plan - the more likely it sticks.

 

[JoeCamel]

This suddenly cannot wait a month after nothing happening for months?

Never mind the extra cost to the taxpayer of holding a special session. Man has no idea of who pays the bills

 

[flynnibus]

shocker... another special session so they can skirt all the rules... again

 

[sedati]

Timed to coincide with the earnings call next week?

So can any landlord in Florida tear up a lease, charge the tenant for any incurred costs, and then appoint themselves in charge of the grocery list and TV?

 

[Surferboy567]

DeSantis: Special session on Disneyâs Reedy Creek expected next week

The Governor's press office confirmed this evening it "anticipates" a special session next week to address Reedy Creek and other items.

www.wftv.com

It’s so blatantly obvious that he is now just messing with them by moving this timetable up.

I really hope Disney gives him a fight.

 

[GoofGoof]

DeSantis: Special session on Disneyâs Reedy Creek expected next week

The Governor's press office confirmed this evening it "anticipates" a special session next week to address Reedy Creek and other items.

www.wftv.com

Special session = no debate again. Also no advanced release of whatever the “plan” is. This way the “plan” gets rubber stamped and passed even if it’s illegal before anyone can publicly point out all the flaws. Then it forces others to fight in court to block whatever happens. This should surprise nobody.

 

[GoofGoof]

Timed to coincide with the earnings call next week?

Could be that. I also think it’s possible he’s just looking for some juice. Some recent primary polling shows the bump from winning re-election has died off and he’s back to being “well behind” some other guy. Many front runners lose momentum and die off before the primaries ever get into full swing.

 

[Surferboy567]

How long could this be reasonably blocked, if it did go to the courts? Would it still “go into effect” or effectively be blocked for months?

EDIT: Of course, this is only if Disney takes action. After this “plan” is released. I hadn’t even noticed the timing with the earnings call.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This suddenly cannot wait a month after nothing happening for months?

Gee…wonder if it’s publicity/fundraising season?

 

[GoofGoof]

How long could this be reasonably blocked, if it did go to the courts? Would it still “go into effect” or effectively be blocked for months?

EDIT: Of course, this is only if Disney takes action. After this “plan” is released. I hadn’t even noticed the timing with the earnings call.

I don’t think whatever they pass will “go into effect” immediately. There are a lot of logistics that need to take place depending on what the plan is. If the district is dissolved and replaced with a new district that will take the longest. Every contract the district has will need to be redone since the legal entity that entered into the contract will be gone. That takes a lot of time. So if that’s the plan I think it would be a stretch to get it done before June.

If the plan ends up being keeping the existing district and amending the way it functions then the logistics may be a lot easier. Possibly just a name change which likely requires nothing more than a communication to the other parties. I think that could be implemented much faster, however is much less likely to be legal.

As far as courts go, it all depends on what the structure is. The courts can effectively block any action the legislature takes if it violates the state constitution. So that would be a permanent block. They could also temporarily block whatever this action is while they wait to hear arguments and then end up allowing it to go through. Disney does not need to take cation in court itself. It could be another party.

 

[lazyboy97o]

How long could this be reasonably blocked, if it did go to the courts? Would it still “go into effect” or effectively be blocked for months?

EDIT: Of course, this is only if Disney takes action. After this “plan” is released. I hadn’t even noticed the timing with the earnings call.

Courts can issue preliminary injunctions that prohibit actions while a matter is adjudicated. Whether they are granted depends on specifics that are not known. The base criteria are typically time and the ability to remedy any harms created by the action going forward. If they push through something where all is said and done by March then a preliminary injunction is more likely than a plan that is executed over years.

 

[mmascari]

If the plan ends up being keeping the existing district and amending the way it functions then the logistics may be a lot easier. Possibly just a name change which likely requires nothing more than a communication to the other parties. I think that could be implemented much faster, however is much less likely to be legal.

How about if it is just a name change, and nothing else.

The existing RCID charter as-is with no changes to any functions at all. Only the name changes.