The Florida State Legislature has taken one step forward in its efforts to reshape the Reedy Creek Improvement District. “HB 9B – Creed Creek Improvement District, Orange and Osceola Counties” has been filed. The bill spells out several changes to Reedy Creek including renaming it as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. It does not dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
A New Name
The bill, if enacted, would change the Reedy Creek Improvement District in multiple ways. They are all spelled out here. In short, the newly renamed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District biggest change is how it would be run. It would continue to collect revenue and also pay for the district’s debt. The bill would revise how board members are chosen and what their compensation would be. The powers of the board would also be revised and a process would be put in place for selecting staff. The new bill would also revise the powers of the district, put in place hiring guidelines for staff, construction guidelines, and also define the relationship between the District and Orange County.
The transition from Reedy Creek Improvement District to Central Florida Tourism Oversight District would be allowed to take up to two years. The district would be allowed to continue to use the Reedy Creek Improvement District as a “fictitious name” to do business as.
A New Board
The new board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District would be made up of five members. These board members would be “appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.” Board members will serve for a term of four years and also until replaced. They will not be able to have worked for or with a theme park/entertainment complex for three years before being named to the board. Board members will also be required to be Florida residents. The first group of new board members would have two members only serve two years and the remaining serve a full length term. New term limits would allow board members to only serve three terms. This new system would effectively give the Governor of Florida power over the district and its future as he appointed board members. The landowners, in this case Disney, would not have the ability to elect any representatives. This could potentially be a legal sticking point.
Powers
The board will have the ability to appoint or remove certain staff members with a majority vote of at least 3 of the 5 members. This includes the clerk of the board, district administrator, and general counsel. There will be a permanent record of meetings and decisions kept and made public. An annual report will be submitted to state officials as well with the state of the districts finances. The district will also submit a public facilities report annual and maintain a website. One year after the act goes into place, the board will be required to provide a review of its powers and authority. This will be repeated every five years after the initial report.
Many of the other powers enumerated in this bill seem to be what would be expected for the district and include the powers and responsibility for public works, construction controls, transportation, education, and conservation controls.The district also has the powers of eminent domain and taxation, which could also potentially raise some flags if Disney/the landowner is not represented in the government. Issuing bonds and borrowing are also included in its powers. The district would also remain tax exempt.
Another interesting part of the bill revolves around the comprehensive plan. This was just recently passed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District and according to this bill, it could be evaluated, changed, or even repealed by the future board. This most recent iteration of the comprehensive plan included the possibility of two smaller theme parks and one large one.
Looking Back & Looking Forward
The changes to the Reedy Creek Improvement District come as Florida passed a bill into law last year dissolving the entity. This came after a feud between then Disney CEO Bob Chapek and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Since then there have been many different opinions about the legality of dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Expect more legal opinions to be released in the near future about this new bill. If it moves forward as written, the act would go into effect the moment it is passed by the legislature and then signed by the Governor.
What do you think about this proposal from the Florida State Legislature for the future of the Reedy Creek Improvement District? What are your predictions? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
This article will continue to be updated as more information is discovered in the document.
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