Employees of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will be getting a $3,000 annual stipend to replace the loss of their longtime Disney perks, which included admission to the Disney Theme Parks.
What’s Happening:
- The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s board approved a deal Wednesday night that provides a $3,000 annual stipend to its employees and many retirees after stripping them of their park passes and Disney discounts.
- This comes after many employees of the Reedy Creek Improvement District who stayed through the transition into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District lost many of their Disney perks, including park admission, when Disney was stripped of control over the district.
- The employees, who provide fire protection and other government services to Walt Disney World and nearby areas, lost the benefits when Governor DeSantis’ hand-picked oversight board objected to the perks program because it exclusively benefited Disney.
- Reportedly, the district had spent about $2.5 million on the Disney benefits, which the employees could sign up to receive. These included park admission and discounts at Disney retail locations, restaurants, and hotels. When the loss was announced, there was backlash from the over 400 employees, many of which said they were losing perks that attracted them to work for Reedy Creek in the first place.
- The $3,000 stipend, which will sunset after two budget years unless reauthorized by the board, will allow for the purchase of a Disney annual pass – which, in theory, will provide park admission and discounts when and where available. Currently, an Annual Pass with no blockout dates (the Incredi-Pass), will run roughly $1400 a year. The district reportedly floated that number around before settling on a higher number after the district employees said their benefits were worth more than that.
- A Florida resident annual pass with no blackout dates costs $1,399 a year, according to Disney’s website.
- Initially, the district floated a stipend of $1,425 but bumped up the amount with employees saying their passes were worth more than that.
- CFTOD Board Member Ron Peri said he understood the value of the passes, adding that it was “more than just admission to an amusement park,” but also said that the district wanted to offer flexibility for those who might not use the theme park related perks.
- The conclusion of the Disney Parks for district employees is just another chapter in the ongoing feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company.
- Last year after Disney opposed legislation critics called the “don’t say gay” law, which limited classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, DeSantis and the company set off into the political battle that continues today.
- Disney has controlled the Reedy Creek Improvement District since the beginning of the Florida-based property, dating back to 1967, becoming the entity that oversees the tens of thousands of acres that make up the Walt Disney World Resort. As the main landowner, Disney elected the district’s five board members, giving it effective control over the special taxing district. Earlier this year, under the control of Gov. DeSantis, the Florida Legislature upended Disney’s arrangement, put the governor in charge of picking board members and renamed the district. DeSantis replaced the Disney-friendly board members with five Republican allies.
- Disney then sued DeSantis and state officials in federal court, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.” DeSantis’ tourism oversight district has sued Disney in state court, asking a judge to invalidate development agreements that Disney put in place just before the boards changed. Both suits are ongoing.
- On September 19th, Disney announced they would spend $60 billion over the next 10 years on improvements at their existing theme park destinations worldwide, as well as the Florida-based Disney Cruise Line, but offered no specifics at the time. However, company officials have reportedly said that keeping control of development is critical to their plans at the Walt Disney World Resort.
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