Senator Stewart aims to terminate DeSantis' CFTOD and revive original Disney Reedy Creek Improvement District

Nov 28, 2023 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

Posted: Tuesday November 28, 2023 4:27am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Linda Stewart, a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, is preparing to file a bill to terminate the Ron DeSantis-created Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Stewart, representing the 13th district, which includes northeast and central Orange County, wants to terminate the terms of office of the CFTOD Board of Supervisors and reconstitute the Reedy Creek Improvement District as it existed as of February 26, 2023.

Senator Linda Stewart's bill would terminate DeSantis' CFTOD and reinstate the Reedy Creek Improvement District

The bill is unlikely to progress, given that the Republican Party controls both the Florida Senate and the Florida House.

Here is the text of the bill via WKMG's Landon McReynolds.

An act relating to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Orange and Osceola Counties; repealing chapter 2023-5, Laws of Florida, which established the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District; reviving, reenacting, and readopting chapter 67-764, Laws of Florida, and the decree in chancery No. 66-1061 entered by the Circuit Court in and for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida on May 13, 1966, relating to the Reedy Creek Improvement District; reconstituting the Reedy Creek Improvement District as it existed as of February 26, 2023; terminating the terms of office of the Board of Supervisors of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District; providing transitional provisions; providing for construction; providing an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
Section 1. Chapter 2023-5, Laws of Florida, is repealed.

Section 2. Notwithstanding chapter 2023-5, Laws of Florida, chapter 67-764, Laws of Florida, and the decree in chancery No. 66-1061 entered by the Circuit Court in and for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida on May 13, 1966, creating and incorporating the Reedy Creek Drainage District as a public corporation of the State of Florida, are revived, reenacted, and readopted. The terms of the charter for the Reedy Creek Improvement District shall be as it existed on February 26, 2023.

Section 3. The offices and terms of all members of the Board of Supervisors of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District existing as of the effective date of this act shall end as of the effective date of this act, but such members may continue to serve until a successor in office is appointed and qualified. Until successors are appointed and qualified to replace all of the members of the board of supervisors existing as of the effective date of this act, board members, officers, and employees of the district may not sell, dispose of, encumber, transfer, or expend the assets of the district as such assets existed on the effective date of this act, other than in the ordinary course of business

Section 4. This act may not be construed to affect or otherwise impair any existing contract that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District entered into, or any bond or other instrument of indebtedness issued by the district, from February 27, 2023, through the effective date of this act.

Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

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DCBaker9 hours ago

Here's the full packet: https://www.oversightdistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-28-25-BOS-Agenda-packet.pdf Item 7.4 on the Sunshine Corridor PD&E Study:

Dr.GrantSeeker2 days ago

Oof, 2031 is a long ways away! Wonder how long it will actually take if and when they start it. Edit: thanks Len!

castlecake2.02 days ago

lentesta2 days ago

AFAIK the road budget is still in place. IIRC it was a tie-in of Western Way to the east side of property. ETA: Yep. Look at Exhibit D in this doc from the CFTOD boaerd meeting on 2024-06-05.

LAKid532 days ago

What more can be done?

Dr.GrantSeeker2 days ago

I remember RCID approving a bunch of infrastructure work for Western Way and the BV Drive intersection right before they became CFTOD. Do we still know if these improvements are going to happen and when? @lentesta I’m tagging you because i vaguely remember you talking about this a year ago-ish, which is how I learned about it in the first place. Unless my memory is totally wrong (which it could be) so I apologize in advance if you never mentioned these improvements!

LAKid532 days ago

Have you met OC Planning? Their middle name is urban sprawl....

LAKid532 days ago

It is. I laugh everytime I'm GPSed through property on the way back from MCO. And I think the same on the way home from Port Canaveral. I'd rather make a larger loop around than drive Osceola Parkway to LBV Drive to Western Way to Hartzog.

lazyboy97o2 days ago

And instead of real solutions people just double down on the causes of traffic.

castlecake2.02 days ago

The blessing of size lead to urban sprawl on property, the very thing Walt’s EPCOT was trying to fix. One solution could be trying to implement public transit to get Cast living nearby to work, but Orlando’s transit is terrible, and the sprawl across property makes it hard to make an efficient system for moving people. Now with the sprawl surrounding the property, Disney roads are becoming the shortcuts. The isolated feel of entire resort is quickly disappearing.

LAKid532 days ago

State Road 535 (Avalon Road) North from the intersection at Hartzog is now wall to wall apartment complexes up to New Independence. I had to make a detour to get out of Waterleigh due to road resurfacing and the same is going south. The roads in Horizons West currently can't handle the traffic resulting from the increase in developments. Yeah, it's nice that 429 North of the toll before the Turnpike had been widened, but it's a hot mess in the AM & PM up to that spot. The amount of construction since I bought 2.5 years ago is insane. Don't know HOW they'll widen Western Way once you leave property because there's not much space to add another lane under the 429 overpass. Flamingo Crossings area is growing. And the roads can't handle the traffic.

LuvtheGoof2 days ago

Western Way was really bad around 5:30 yesterday. And then a few idiots on the turnpike going north decided to have a 4 car pile up, blocking both lanes in the construction area, and our normal 2 - 2 1/2 hour trip took almost 4 hours last night!

LAKid533 days ago

My GPS sends me THROUGH property on the way back from MCO. But South on 429 to get there.

LAKid533 days ago

Avalon is bad in the mornings & evenings. Now imagine adding a 1400 unit housing project on Hartzog just before the curve to the intersection with Avalon. Which was just widened up to Schofield.