Disney's Tom Moses Retires after 32 Years

Moses is credited with tactfully guiding Disney to a dominant position in the area's development arena. Disney has grown from a single theme park to four major parks in 30 years.

On the hotel side alone, Disney owns and operates 18 lodges totaling 20,942 rooms. That is 18% of the total 111,618 rooms at 427 area hotels tracked monthly by Smith Travel Research of Hendersonville, TN.

In March, Disney plans to open Pop Century Resort, a 5,760-room hotel, its largest yet. That will bring Disney's total room count to 26,702 or 24% of the total rooms available in metro Orlando.

Moses, 65, couldn't be reached for comment at GlobeSt.com's publication deadline. But a former associate tells GlobeSt.com on condition of anonymity Moses was "in the loop on almost every big development deal going down in Orlando over the past three decades."

Moses is a former mayor of suburban Winter Park, FL. He will be succeeded at Reedy Creek by Ray Maxwell, 60 and Mickey Shiver, 55.

Maxwell will serve as vice president of administration and district administrator, a position equivalent to CEO. Maxwell is Reedy Creek's former finance and planning director.

Shiver, Reedy Creek's departmental director, gets added duties as deputy district administrator, a post equivalent to chief operating officer.

The Florida Legislature created Reedy Creek Improvement District in 1967, four years before Walt Disney World opened in October 1971 in Lake Buena Vista, 17 miles south of Downtown Orlando. Reedy Creek is a special taxing district operating as an independent municipality within Orange County.