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

[Surferboy567]

Any predictions on what the end result of all this will be?

Spitballing but I foresee two scenarios. Once this is all said and done. Keep in mind this will probably take lots more time to be “finished”.

A.) DeSantis’s board wins the lawsuit. They try and make Disney’s life a living hell in the state of Florida. Raise taxes, inact policies whatever they can do in order to slow them down. All under the guise of not having one company have a “competitive advantage”. Most employees of the district will leave as they are not fans of the new board. Once a new governor comes into the state of Florida it is possible that the hostile tone will stop. Park investment is hampered and dramatically slows down as it has to go though the board.

B.) Disney wins and the board is reverted back to the way it was. So much has changed I don’t know how this could be done. Perhaps an injunction is ordered so the state can not pull any more funny business.

EDIT: Whatever happens this will be a landmark case in free speech.

 

[Figgy1]

Looks like a lot of employees are leaving the district because of the new board

Report: Dozens of Employees with More Than 350 Years of Experience Resign from "Toxic" Central Florida Tourism Oversight District After DeSantis Takeover

Morale is down and the new leadership doesn't care. That's the message that was sent by former employees of the CFTOD through exit interviews

blogmickey.com

The loss of institutional knowledge is going to hurt the operations of the District. And as we've seen, several Board members aren't the sharpest pencils in the box.

Should Disney win the federal suit will this be part of the damages they're seeking? Fixing the damage the board has done to district operations isn't going to be cheap

 

[mkt]

Spitballing but I foresee two scenarios. Once this is all said and done. Keep in mind this will probably take lots more time to be “finished”.

A.) DeSantis’s board wins the lawsuit. They try and make Disney’s life a living hell in the state of Florida. Raise taxes, inact policies whatever they can do in order to slow them down. All under the guise of not having one company have a “competitive advantage”. Most employees of the district will leave as they are not fans of the new board. Once a new governor comes into the state of Florida it is possible that the hostile tone will stop. Park investment is hampered and dramatically slows down as it has to go though the board.

B.) Disney wins and the board is reverted back to the way it was. So much has changed I don’t know how this could be done. Perhaps an injunction is ordered so the state can not pull any more funny business.

EDIT: Whatever happens this will be a landmark case in free speech.

With two separate lawsuits going on, what happens if the victories are opposite of each other?

 

[Surferboy567]

With two separate lawsuits going on, what happens if the victories are opposite of each other?

I have no idea just spitballing.

I assume that the most likely situation is that DeSantis wins the state case and Disney wins in federal court. I’m not sure how that shakes out though in the situation you described.

 

[lazyboy97o]

With two separate lawsuits going on, what happens if the victories are opposite of each other?

Disney’s counterclaims in state court would still make such a scenario a win for them.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

It’s a benefit sold by Disney that the District and other operating participants purchase.

I have absolutely zero sympathy for the firefighters losing their Disney pass benefits. This is a perfect example of: “I never thought the leopards would eat my face!, ‘sobs woman who voted for the leopards-eating-faces party.’”

 

[castlecake2.0]

From article:

“The legacy of this special district is being destroyed by those who have been placed in power here,” wrote a former executive assistant. “The BOS [Board of Supervisors] and the new District Administrator could care less about the work that needs to be done for the taxpayers. They claim transparency and bridge building, I see non-transparency and bridge burning.”

 

[Isamar]

Not sure if anyone has posted this yet:

State ethics commish Figgers snags fat contract from district run by ex-colleague

By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org - State ethics commissioner Figgers snags fat contract from tourism district run by ex-colleague

www.floridabulldog.org

 

[LAKid53]

Not sure if anyone has posted this yet:

State ethics commish Figgers snags fat contract from district run by ex-colleague

By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org - State ethics commissioner Figgers snags fat contract from tourism district run by ex-colleague

www.floridabulldog.org

Unfortunately this wouldn't fall under the purview of the Auditor Generals office.

 

[Disstevefan1]

So you think a company's clients..both current and future...aren't critical to its success?

There are many things that contribute to a company’s success. Let’s see how it goes.

 

[Teleostei35]

If we call 911 from a wireless phone we just ask for Reedy Creek and are immediately transferred. All landlines on property immediately connect to RCID EMS. Could possibly save a few seconds but not sure why this needed such a quick turn around that a proper bid wasn’t done.

I Agree

 

[Batman'sParents]

With two separate lawsuits going on, what happens if the victories are opposite of each other?

Building on this, if for some reason Disney prevails, The district won’t be the same as it was before. Wouldn’t the staff hired on by CFTOD,including the new admin, Not be as cooperative if the district was run under the old setup but this time with CFTOD hired staff?

 

[mkt]

Building on this, if for some reason Disney prevails, The district won’t be the same as it was before. Wouldn’t the staff hired on by CFTOD,including the new admin, Not be as cooperative if the district was run under the old setup but this time with CFTOD hired staff?

That's very likely, since I'd wager that the CFTOD hired staff were hired for political loyalty and not their ability to get work done.

 

[Lilofan]

If we call 911 from a wireless phone we just ask for Reedy Creek and are immediately transferred. All landlines on property immediately connect to RCID EMS. Could possibly save a few seconds but not sure why this needed such a quick turn around that a proper bid wasn’t done.

That's not so bad. Imagine if you live in high property tax area where my friends and family live in the North where there is volunteer fire rescue and volunteer ambulance squad. Good luck having them come quickly in an emergency.

 

[EeyoreFan#24]

That's very likely, since I'd wager that the CFTOD hired staff were hired for political loyalty and not their ability to get work done.

I’d guess there’d be another large exodus of people who won’t feel the belong within the current structure.

I’d guess the board would leave or be reappointed to another pet project, since they already indicated there not really interested in just maintaining “ roads and bridges and stuff”. I would envision the next board just wanting to be middle of the road, reasonable, and not looking for media heat. Leading to new direction for staff. The staff would either adjust or find something more comfortable for them. I’d imagine it’s a mix of idea supporters who will feel abandoned, municipal professionals who can go either way but just do their job and some new lifers who are glad they got a good government gig and will have to be forced out to open that position.

But again, just my guess.

 

[JoeCamel]

That's not so bad. Imagine if you live in high property tax area where my friends and family live in the North where there is volunteer fire rescue and volunteer ambulance squad. Good luck having them come quickly in an emergency.

Thats what they get for choosing to live in the sticks, not the same

 

[Lilofan]

Thats what they get for choosing to live in the sticks, not the same

When you call 911 at Disney and call gets immediately transferred to proper parties , response still happens and quickly based on experience

 

[lewisc]

That's not so bad. Imagine if you live in high property tax area where my friends and family live in the North where there is volunteer fire rescue and volunteer ambulance squad. Good luck having them come quickly in an emergency.

Response is rapid.

The real issue is in areas like Manhattan. Cars are unwilling or unable to pull over. NYC uses full-time paid ambulance drivers and EMT. Traffic conditions, not the employment status of the drivers is the issue.

 

[flynnibus]

Could possibly save a few seconds but not sure why this needed

But I also think it's fair to say that as a consumer - you probably don't have the visibility into all the scenarios or permutations their system supports. And we can safely assume they know far more about the actual results in practice than we do.

 

[Ripken10]

Response is rapid.

The real issue is in areas like Manhattan. Cars are unwilling or unable to pull over. NYC uses full-time paid ambulance drivers and EMT. Traffic conditions, not the employment status of the drivers is the issue.

To piggyback on his, I completely agree (I also know quite a few paid and volunteer fire fighters/paramedics).

I lived in an area that utilized volunteer services, and when a truck ran a red light and hit me as I crossed the road as a pedestrian at 50 mph (the truck, not me), it took the volunteers 11 minutes to get me airborne en route to the hospital once the 911 call was made, which saved my life despite the scene being over 5 miles from the station. Traffic conditions, a bit of luck, etc have a much bigger effect then their pay status. Heck, some volunteers are some of the most dedicated, enthusiastic people you will ever meet.