Walt Disney World has issued a subpoena for former Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) Administrator John Classe seeking various documents and information from his tenure with the District.
John Classe was the District Administrator for almost a decade. When RCID became the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), Classe stayed on for the transition.
The new Board of Supervisors chose Glen Gilzean Jr. to replace Classe. When Gilzean took over the position in May, Disney added him as a defendant in their lawsuit against the District and Florida Governor Ron Desantis.
Classe signed a 1-year contract to stay on as a Special Advisor but it was later terminated and he ceased work with the District by July. He was removed from Disney’s lawsuit.
Now Disney is seeking documents from Classe concerning the preparation and any analysis of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan, 2023 Development Agreement, 2023 Restrictive Covenants, and the Land Development Regulation Amendments, as well as documents related to the District’s authority to enter into those agreements, any decision to provide or not provide public notices for the Agreements, whether the Development Agreement impacted property owners, and communications with property owners about the Development Agreement.
The CFTOD Board attempted to declare these agreements null and void, which is what led Disney to file their federal lawsuit against DeSantis and the District.
Disney is also looking for documents about the financial impact of their future development activities, concerning the appointment of the District Board of Supervisors, and various communications between Classe, CFTOD, and third parties.
The subpoena calls for John Classe to appear with the documents and testimony on October 31, 2023.
