Earlier this week, the first meeting of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board (previously the Reedy Creek Improvement District) took place at B Resort & Spa near Disney Springs. Several media outlets including the Orlando Business Journal shared details such as how the board suggested the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista be dissolved.
Let’s get into it!
Months ago, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wished to dissolved Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, eventually succeeding, creating the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board as its replacement.
The new board consists of chairman Martin Garcia, Clearwater attorney Brian Aungst Jr., Winter Park attorney Michael A. Sasso, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, and CEO of The Gathering Ron Peri. All board members are required to be Florida residents, and must not have worked in theme park industry within the past three years.
The board meeting began with public comments, including many from employees from the Reedy Creek Fire Dept. and their families. During the meeting, Aungst said of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, “Whether or not these two cities are legally necessary is an important question.” He said that for now, he wants the district to oversee the law enforcement contracts of those cities or ensure they cannot supersede the district’s building codes and land-planning powers. Other topics brought up during the meeting included COVID-19 restrictions, and leadership balance/the role of the government.
Garcia stressed that there is more to learn, saying, “We are, as Mickey would say, all ears at this time.”
What do you think of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista possibly being dissolved?
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Photo Courtesy: Disney/Reedy Creek/WDWNT
