Power play: Disney handicapped new Reedy Creek board before handing over control [View all]

[In It to Win It]

Last edited Wed Mar 29, 2023, 05:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Power play: Disney handicapped new Reedy Creek board before handing over control

Disney Areements


This article goes into a little more detail than the previous one I posted.

According to the new board members, who are now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight board, and their attorneys, Disney is allowed the maximum possible density and building heights inside Walt Disney World. Other property owners will need Disney’s permission to expand within the district, and they and Reedy Creek leaders will need to seek Disney’s approval if they made any aesthetic changes to their properties within the district.

The district is also not allowed to permit advertisements of any companies that compete with ones that operate within Reedy Creek, board members said.

“We lose control over everything other than to maintain the roads and maintain the infrastructure,” one board member said.

Board members said they found out about the agreement after their appointments.

WFTV worked with an independent attorney who specializes in government law to analyze the agreement Wednesday morning. Upon initial review, the attorney said the agreement appeared to be valid.

“I’m struggling to find a reason why it’s unlawful,” the attorney said, noting the type of agreement struck was normal between large developers and governments, it was properly noticed and Reedy Creek’s leadership willingly entered into it.

The unusual part, the attorney said, was the powers the agreement locked in. However, the attorney noted nothing about the existing structure of Reedy Creek was normal and, in that context, the agreement made sense.

They also said Reedy Creek and Florida lawmakers could run into constitutional issues if they tried to undo the agreement since governments can’t impair existing contracts.