Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is still clearly mad that Disney have made a fool out of him in public, and is still not in the mood to let his personal war against Disney go as he has now ordered a criminal investigation into the deal that Disney openly made with the former Reedy Creek Improvement District that gave Disney maximum developmental power over its territory for the next 30 years.
Of course, we are now seeing a push back from the governor who will not want to be seen as the man who got out-manouverd by Mickey Mouse!
Last week DeSantis said “There’s a lot of little back-and-forths going on now with the state taking control, but rest assured, you know, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” telling a crowd in Smyrna, Georgia. “There’s more to come in that regard.”
And now we know the governors latest move, as he has officially ordered an investigation into potential civil and criminal violations of the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District Board of Supervisors.
Read on for details...
The Executive Office of the Governor shared the following letter from Governor DeSantis to Melinda Miguel, Chief Inspector General of the State of Florida outlining the ordered investigation:
Dear Ms. Miguel:
On February 27, 2023, I signed House Bill 9-B, Reedy Creek Improvement District, Orange, and Osceola Counties, which replaced the Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) with a new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), and appointed five new members to the CFTOD board. Recently, the new board members informed the public that they had uncovered that, immediately before the enactment of House Bill 9-B, the RCID Board of Supervisors attempted to enter into last-minute development and restrictive covenant agreements with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc. (Walt Disney World), designed to usurp the authority of the CFTOD board. These collusive and self-dealing arrangements aim to nullify the recently passed legislation, undercut Florida’s legislative process, and defy the will of Floridians. In addition, based on initial observations of counsel, the RCID board’s actions appear to suffer from serious legal infirmities, including, among other things, inadequate notice, lack of consideration, improper delegation of authority, and ethical violations, such as conflicts of interest and self-dealing.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 14.32, Florida Statutes, I formally request that you, as the Chief Inspector General of the State of Florida, in consultation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, launch a thorough review and investigation into the actions of the RCID Board of Supervisors described above. Such investigation should include analysis of the following:
RCID’s adherence to applicable Florida civil and criminal laws and ethics requirements;
The qualifications of RCID’s prior Board of Supervisors and the legal validity of their actions;
The involvement of Walt Disney World employees and agents in the execution of RCID’s actions;
Any financial gain or benefit derived by Walt Disney World as a result of RCID’s actions and RCID’s justification for such actions;
All RCID board, employee, or agent communications related to RCID’s actions, including those with Walt Disney World employees and agents; and
All RCID board, employee, or agent communications related to House Bill 9-B, Reedy Creek Improvement District, Orange, and Osceola Counties, and the CFTOD.
Any legal or ethical violations should be referred to the appropriate authorities. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Last week, Christina Pushaw, of DeSantis’ rapid response team said "Governor DeSantis’ new board would not, and will not, allow Disney to give THEMSELVES unprecedented power over land (some of which isn’t even theirs!) for 30+ years"
And we have seen the office of state Attorney General Ashley Moody swing into action, making an official request for the procurement of all pertinent records, emails, text messages, and other correspondences relevant to negotiations between the now-defunct Reedy Creek Improvement District and Disney.
SO HOW DID DISNEY MANAGE TO PULL THE WOOL OVER THE GOVENORS EYES?
On February. 8, 2023, as the Florida House was passing legislation to give DeSantis his new power, Reedy Creek’s board members signed a development agreement with Disney that allowed the company maximum developmental power over its territory for the next 30 years.
According to the new board members of 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.
It appears that board members only discovered the agreement after their appointments!
Both they and their newly appointed attorneys called the agreement null and void.
Particular focus was paid to one section that board members said locked in development rights of a particular parcel until 21 years after the death of the youngest current descendant of King Charles, or until Disney abandons the resort.
Board members have hired multiple politically-connected law firms to represent them and analyze the agreement, and discussed bringing on as many as four different firms to battle the mighty Disney corporation as they desperately attempt to nullify the agreement.
The new board are claiming that they will take the case to the United States Supreme Court if necessary, although backtracking on this, some board members said they hoped Disney executives and attorneys would be willing to reach a compromise before any legal action was taken...
Disney then issued the following statement:
“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law.”
With both sides appearing to be gearing up for a legal battle. It’s unclear what further actions the DeSantis administration might take in response to Disney’s one-upmanship, but it's very clear that Gov DeSantis is not a happy man right now!
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