Gabrielle Russon
One Disney Springs restaurateur offered to pull out champagne as Disney World and its state-controlled Governing Board are on the verge of approving a new developer’s agreement to work together in a multibillion-dollar expansion.
Disney is committing to spend $8 billion in the next 10 years in Orlando. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) pledged to provide the infrastructure to make the expansion possible. Disney is currently planning to spend up to $17 billion within 10 to 20 years, fueling rumors that Disney World might be ready to build a fifth theme park.
The CFTOD approved a first reading of the developer’s agreement during a Wednesday meeting.
“We’re appreciative,” said Woody Rodriguez, Disney parks’ external affairs director. “The development agreement will enable us to continue to invest significantly in the district to benefit all parties.”
Others with business ties to Disney urged the two sides to approve the agreement to keep Disney World growing and its standards of excellence high.
“When we see the billion-dollar number in front of the investment that’s on the table, we get very excited,” said George Miliotes, co-owner of Wine Bar George in Disney Springs. “We know that we’re securing the future if we make this investment. … If you accept the agreement, maybe I’ll bring some champagne to the next meeting.”
The 15-year agreement covers 17,000 acres of mostly Disney-owned property. Disney promised to spend $10 million on affordable housing. Orange County OK’d Disney’s plan to build an affordable housing unit in the western part of the county despite residents’ objections about overcrowding in March.
The CFTOD Board is scheduled for final approval of the developer’s agreement at a June 12 meeting. Just like a municipal government would, CFTOD members handle the roads, emergency services and infrastructure for the sprawling Walt Disney World Resort.
“It’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of June 12,” said CFTOD Board member Brian Aungst Jr.
Disney and CFTOD have a short, but hostile, history of public taunts and counter-lawsuits since Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed the Board members last Spring.
The state took control of the board when Disney spoke out against Florida’s parental rights law, known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” In response, lawmakers passed a law that gave DeSantis the power to appoint new Board members on Disney’s Governing Board. Disney previously held the control to essentially pick its own Board members, which Republicans criticized and called an unfair advantage that Disney competitors Universal and SeaWorld did not have.
The corporate giant and its Governing Board battled each other for months until they reached a settlement in March. Since then, CFTOD looks different now with a new District Administrator and new Board Chair.
3 comments
TD
June 5, 2024 at 5:05 pm
Oh look, pushing back against woke corporations DOES work, after all.
The lesson of the 20th Century: Bolsheviks and Maoists respond only to strength and force, and eventually fold, and now we’re relearning it all over again.
just sayin
June 6, 2024 at 10:41 am
Careful, a bunch of “progressives” are going to come in here and defend a corporation’s “right” to free speech and “right” to run their own government, just because they hate DeSantis so much.
rick whitaker
June 8, 2024 at 9:44 pm
TD, the so-called lessons of the past are dependent on the mindset of the individual. what did racist rednecks learn from the lessons of the civil war? what have christians learned from 2000 years of pushing lies? things are different now, and need to be looked at with now in mind. the gop loves to point to well-used lies about their version of the past. what the hell do bolshevicks and maoists got to do with today? one thing we CAN learn from the past, is what people like trump do when they get in power. BTW, desantis is the worst governor florida has ever had. that too will be in the past.
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