ORLANDO, Fla. — After years of contentious negotiations, the board of Walt Disney World’s governing district now made up of Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees accepted a contract for its firefighters on Wednesday and in addition proposed lowering property taxes.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted unanimously to approve the three-year contract that covers 200 firefighters and paramedics within the Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters’ Association.
The contract, amongst different provisions, would enhance wages by 5%, together with elevating the beginning annual wage for firefighter and paramedics from $55,000 to $66,000. It additionally would supply $5,000 signing bonuses for staff with three or extra years working for the division and $2,500 bonuses for everybody else.
“This issue has been around for some time … and there have been some contentious negotiations,” Martin Garcia, chairman of the oversight district’s board, stated at a gathering. “We feel this is a fair, generous and fiscally responsible agreement.”
The outdated contract expired greater than 4 years in the past, and the firefighters declared themselves at an deadlock final yr with the district’s board when it was nonetheless managed by Disney supporters. Members of the firefighters union have warned for years that they’re understaffed, including that posed a public security danger because the central Florida theme park resort grows larger.
The firefighters had been among the many few staff who publicly welcomed the takeover of the Disney World governing board by DeSantis appointees earlier this yr after haggling over a contract for years with a board managed by Disney supporters. But a delay this summer season in approving the contract had threatened that assist.
“We were able to get it wrapped up,” union official Aaron Colburn informed reporters after the assembly.
Glenton Gilzean, the district’s new administrator, stated at Wednesday’s assembly that the district’s new funds would minimize property taxes by almost 7%. The minimize was made potential by price financial savings, together with deciding to not pay deputies for safety used solely on Disney property, district officers stated.
The DeSantis appointees took over the Disney World governing board earlier this yr following a yearlong feud between the corporate and DeSantis. The struggle started final yr after Disney, beset by vital strain internally and externally, publicly opposed a state legislation banning classroom classes on sexual orientation and gender id in early grades, a coverage critics name “Don’t Say Gay.”
As punishment, DeSantis took over the district by means of laws handed by Florida lawmakers and appointed a brand new board of supervisors to supervise municipal companies for the sprawling theme parks and motels. But earlier than the brand new board got here in, the corporate made agreements with earlier oversight board members made up of Disney supporters that stripped the brand new supervisors of their authority over design and building.
Disney sued DeSantis and the five-member board, asking a federal decide to void the governor’s takeover of the theme park district, in addition to the oversight board’s actions, on grounds that they had been violations of firm’s free speech rights.
The board sued Disney in state court docket in an effort to keep up its management of building and design at Disney World. Disney requested a decide nearly two weeks in the past to dismiss the case, and a call continues to be pending.
Board members on Wednesday met behind closed doorways to debate the lawsuits.
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