Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board set to meet at 9:30 a.m.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Changes could be in the works for Walt Disney World as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newly appointed board overseeing the theme park’s taxing district is meeting on Wednesday.
Board members from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District are coming together two days after the governor announced steps he’s taking to reclaim power over Disney’s special district.
The governor said legislation coming down soon would invalidate the development agreement — which DeSantis deemed “legal fiction” — formed between the Walt Disney Company and the former Reedy Creek Improvement District Board prior to the bill-signing that eliminated the special district. Additionally, DeSantis said a bill would be introduced that would end an exemption from ride inspections by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for major theme parks.
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In the wake of DeSantis taking control of Disney’s “corporate kingdom” and renaming it “Central Florida Tourism Oversight District,” state officials learned of the last-minute deal struck between the theme park company and the former board granting direct control of the district’s development rights and privileges to Disney, a move DeSantis said on Monday was in direct defiance of the people of Florida.
“(The bill) was done, passed, signed. While that was happening, Disney did basically special deals to circumvent that whole process and so they controlled the board. So it’s basically like a legal fiction. They negotiated with themselves to give themselves the ability to maintain their self-governing status,” DeSantis said.
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In response, Disney stated that Florida approved the plan the development agreement was based upon on July 17, 2022.
The board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is scheduled to meet Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
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Mark Lehman
Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.
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