Before the battle between Walt Disney World and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis entered the courtroom, there was one group that already had a problem with the Reedy Creek Improvement District that oversaw the area. The Reedy Creek Fire Department had been open about what it saw as safety problems at Disney World, and it felt the existing board wasn’t doing enough for them. This made them one of the few groups inside the district happy to see DeSantis replace RCID with a new board, with members all chosen by him. Since then, however, the new board and the Reedy Creek firefighters have continued to clash. And now it’s happening again.
Previously the Reedy Creek firefighters’ union was left in limbo while the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the new name of the old RCID, held up a new contract they had been waiting years to get. Now firefighters are speaking out against the CFTOD decision to remove an employee perk, Annual Passes to Disney World. The Oversight District has asked the Florida Inspector General to look into the deal, which it has called “unethical” after Disney World sent the board a bill for $2.5 million to cover the cost of the benefits used. It has also informed all employees that the perk will be ending.
At a meeting today of the CFTOD (via Scott Gustin) Reedy Creek firefighter Pete Simon took the board to task over the decision. The passes are what he called a “generational benefit” as they are not only part of current firefighter benefits, but are also part of existing retirement packages, meaning firefighters get to use them with their families for, potentially decades.
Pete Simon, a Reedy Creek firefighter, made a powerful statement during today’s CFTOD meeting about the impact of removing generational benefits for families. “This week marks the first brick being pulled in the dismantling of the district … my only question is, what’s next?” pic.twitter.com/bzt8tW5fc8August 23, 2023
It’s especially hard-hitting seeing this plea come from a firefighter, considering how supportive they have been in the past. The law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis that transformed the Reedy Creek Improvement District into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District was signed at a Reedy Creek Fire Station. The need to give the first responders the appropriate support and compensation was one of the explanations given for why the change needed to be made in the first place.
For its part, Disney World believes the change was made in retaliation for the company speaking out against the Florida law, known colloquially as “Don’t Say Gay.” Disney World has filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis and the CFTOD and countersued the board in state court as well, due to the retaliation. In addition to changing the board, Florida has passed new transportation laws that impact Disney World's Monorail.
The CFTOD says only 50% of employees took advantage of the Annual Pass offered to them, but if many others feel like this firefighter, then there are still a lot of people who choose to go to work there, at least in part, because of that perk. If the passes really do go away, it will be interesting to see if that has an impact on current staffing, or the district's ability to hire. At the very least, it is frustrating for some of the few supporters this district has.
