DeSantis-Controlled District Reinstates Disney Park Passes for Employees

Overview

• CFTOD confirmed late Friday that it has reinstated a new employee park pass, with spokesperson Chad Colby saying the offer is similar to passes given to other operators in the district.
• The district says the new pass is narrower than the old Reedy Creek package and will be treated as taxable compensation, but it has not published the program’s price, eligibility rules, dependent coverage, or rollout date.
• CFTOD previously called the Reedy Creek-era benefit a “scheme” and “akin to bribes” and said pass-related spending exceeded $2.5 million in 2022, a record that shaped the board’s 2023 accounting and ethics complaints.
• The reinstatement follows the March 2024 legal settlement and a multi-year development agreement between Disney and CFTOD that shifted the parties from litigation to more routine project approvals.
• For employees the change restores direct park access; for taxpayers and watchdogs the key next steps are public release of the agreement, line-item cost comparisons with the former program and the stipend that replaced it, and clarity on who will qualify.