Things are ever-evolving at the former Reedy Creek Improvement District that governs the land on which Disney World operates in Florida.
Reedy Creek Improvement District
The District is now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, it has a new Board of Supervisors appointed by Governor DeSantis (which has seen some recent changes), lawsuits are still pending regarding Disney and DeSantis’ battle over the District, and we’ve even seen some updates from the District’s firefighters. But now we have more news.
On June 21st, the District’s Board of Supervisors met to discuss pending matters. Just what came out of that meeting? We’re breaking down what you need to know right here.
1 — New Logo
First up, the District revealed its NEW logo — you can see it below. According to the new District Administrator — Glenton Gilzean — they were able to get feedback on the matter from staff and others. He shared that the District is in a “new chapter” and that the new look will “enhance” its brand recognition and resonate with the millions of guests that visit the District each year.
©Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board
This might be a subtle change, but it is important as it could eventually get rolled out to various areas throughout Disney World to really mark the shift from Reedy Creek to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. It serves as another way to really distance the existing Board and what it’s trying to do with the older board that had much more involvement and control by Disney. In the past, we’ve seen the old Reedy Creek logo on trash cans and other signs in Disney Springs, so those could change in the future.
Reedy Creek Trash Cans
It will also likely mark the start of further changes on the District’s website and other places all throughout the District where the “Reedy Creek” name appears.
Click here to learn about the NEW board member that has joined the District
2 — Whistleblower Policy
Second, the District’s Board of Supervisors adopted a new whistleblower policy. Martin Garcia, the chair of the Board, expressed his hope that this will send a message that the culture in the District (from the Board’s perspective) is that they want to hear all types of feedback and information about the District — good, bad, and ugly.
As the Orlando Sentinel points out, Garcia shared, “We want to adopt a policy that says we don’t have deaf ears, nothing will fall on deaf ears…So if you have an issue, here is a new policy. Here is a new culture.”
©Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board Livestream
Reportedly the adoption of this policy came following the concerns expressed by some District employees about their complaints not being fully listened to by the prior board. The Sentinel says the policy “provides protections for whistleblowers and sets out the process for reporting unlawful activity and other concerns.”
It is meant to supplement Florida’s existing whistleblower act (not replace it). There will be a delayed effective date for union employees (delayed until August 1st at the earliest), but the policy applies immediately to nonunion staff.
3 — Advisory Board
Another thing discussed at the recent meeting was the creation of new advisory boards. Specifically, District Administrator Gilzean shared that he had several conversations with some of the District’s taxpayers, including one individual who owns several restaurants at Disney Springs.
Gilzean noted that they’re in discussion about what these boards will look like with the “goal” being to have “honest and open conversations that deal[] with much of the misinformation that is currently out there.”
©Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board Livestream
Gilzean shared that a recent meeting he had on this issue was productive. The Orlando Business Journal notes that this marks the start of some “headway” in the District’s efforts to “create an advisory group for businesses in and around Walt Disney World.”
Gilzean has said his goal is to “get input from as many people as possible so when we develop this, it’s supported by the neighbors.” He has indicated that the District will decide if multiple advisory groups (based on the needs of different types of businesses or issues) will be needed.
Reedy Creek
And it seems like some are responding positively to this news. Jay Leonard — complex general manager of the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs hotel — said that this is a good sign and that the advisory group could “bridge the gap” between these businesses and the Board. We’ll continue to watch for updates as to how this situation moves forward.
4 — Firefighters Update
In terms of an update on the firefighter situation, the Sentinel reports that Gilzean said he is working to finalize the contract that had already been approved by unionized firefighters. The contract would increase their pay and add more firefighters and paramedics to their team.
After the June 21st meeting Gilzean shared, “We’re going to give our firefighters the best resources.”
Reedy Creek Fire Department
The Board of Supervisors for the District will meet in a closed-door session to discuss the negotiations with the union. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Gilzean has said that the contract approval was delayed for “procedural reasons because he wanted to complete agreements with all bargaining units at the same time.”
The president of the firefighters union — Jon Shirey — previously expressed some frustration over the situation. Shirey slammed union members for sharing the proposed contract, claiming that this is pressuring the new District administrator not to sign since other public officials are complaining about the deal. “We just shot ourselves in the foot to the tune of millions of dollars that this agreement would have put into the pockets of our members,” Shirey wrote to the firefighters. Read more about Shirey’s comments here.
Jon Shirey, President of the Reedy Creek Firefighters Association | ©Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Those are the main updates from Reedy Creek for now but we expect many more will be on the way as both the federal and state lawsuits involving Disney and Reedy Creek are still pending, plus more Board meetings are scheduled for the future with more changes likely on the way. We’ll look for more news as that all continues and share the latest updates with you so stay tuned.
Click here to learn about the hearing set in the Reedy Creek vs Disney lawsuit
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The post Subtle But Important Change Revealed for Disney’s Reedy Creek District first appeared on the disney food blog.
