By Katie Rice
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO 鈥� Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which replaced Disney鈥檚 Reedy Creek, agreed Wednesday to work with the district鈥檚 firefighters to resolve their union contract impasse and help award death benefits to the .
The board met for the first time since amid his feud with the company.
Board chairman Martin Garcia said the group is committed to listening to constituents even though it has 鈥渁 lot to learn.鈥�
鈥淚 see our constituency group as everybody who works and plays in the district, those citizens that live around the district and, frankly, all the citizens of the state of Florida,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥�... You all didn鈥檛 elect us, but the people of Florida elected a governor who then appointed us, and so I see that there鈥檚 going to be much broader representation.鈥�
Reedy Creek Firefighters Association President Jon Shirey spoke during the meeting鈥檚 public comment period about longstanding staffing and at the fire department that he .
The firefighters鈥� union says many of these issues have , a claim that Reedy Creek officials deny.
Lesly Dorminy, the widow of longtime Reedy Creek firefighter Lt. James Dorminy, cried as she recounted her struggle to receive her husband鈥檚 death benefits.
鈥淒id I not give enough to you guys?鈥� she asked.
James Dorminy was found floating in a fitness center鈥檚 pool after finishing a shift with the fire department in May 2017, . He was placed on life support and died about 10 days later. The firefighter鈥檚 association has been trying to get officials to award Lesly Dorminy his benefits since, to little progress.
Members of the board, including Brian Aungst Jr. and Michael Sasso, thanked Lesly Dorminy and the first responders and said they looked forward to 鈥済etting involved personally in the contract negotiations鈥� and fixing Dorminy鈥檚 benefits issue.
鈥淭he new board has shown a willingness to listen and to collaborate already,鈥� Shirey said. 鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 still the early stage of that relationship, but we鈥檙e looking forward to it very optimistically and think it鈥檚 going to better the district as a whole, better the lives of first responders and retirees.鈥�
The board also discussed appointing lawyer A. Kurt Ardaman, with the Fishback Dominick firm, as the district鈥檚 new special counsel. Ardaman worked with DeSantis鈥� office to craft legislation establishing the new district, Administrator John Classe said. The board voted to consider the issue further at a future meeting.
Aungst said he wanted the board to discuss taking over the 鈥渆ssentially fictitious鈥� cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, including assuming their oversight of law enforcement contracts and eventually eliminating the cities.
鈥淚f it makes sense, legally, it鈥檚 something that I want to evaluate,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that I have control over; it鈥檚 a legislative decision.鈥�
Another topic for future discussion is an ordinance to prevent COVID-19 vaccine or masking mandates in the district, an idea introduced by board member Bridget Ziegler. already prevents such mandates.
The agenda for Wednesday鈥檚 meeting and presentations kept the Reedy Creek Improvement District title. Efforts to formally change the district鈥檚 name will involve a comprehensive overhaul and take time, Classe said.
In a statement Wednesday, Disney Parks, Experiences & Products Chairman Josh D鈥橝maro said he was hopeful the new district would continue the 鈥渆xcellent work鈥� started by the Reedy Creek district and share the resort鈥檚 commitment to 鈥渉elping the local economy continue to flourish and support the ongoing growth of the resort and Florida鈥檚 tourism industry.鈥�
are Garcia, a Tampa lawyer and GOP political donor who has contributed to DeSantis; Ron Peri, an evangelical minister who has defended Christian nationalism; Ziegler, co-founder of the conservative education group Moms for Liberty and wife of the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida; Sasso, Seminole County attorney and head of the Orlando chapter of the conservative legal group the Federalist Society; and Aungst, a Clearwater attorney and member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission.
Ziegler and Peri have advocated for policies against the LGBTQ+ community in recent years.
, Peri said in January 2022 more people are identifying as LGBTQ+ because 鈥渆strogen in the water from birth control pills鈥� is leading to a decline in testosterone, a baseless claim.
Ziegler supported state legislation dubbed the 鈥渄on鈥檛 say gay鈥� bill that restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. A led to the Reedy Creek Improvement District鈥檚 dissolution.
Staff writer Skyler Swisher contributed to this report.
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