Hi everyone,
I'm in Orlando doing a book tour and was forwarded this thread. I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond sooner.
I'm also sorry to hear that some of you did not enjoy the book. We put alot of effort into the research but sometimes things don't work with various readers.
As some background, the book did start as a law review article on improvement districts in general and the Reedy Creek Improvement District in particular.
Several readers of that academic article suggested extending the article into a book. After conducting an additional year or so of research, we made the move.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not John Gresham in the slightest. That said, the goal of Project Future is to provide a detailed, historical account of the unique legal, regulatory, political, and business events that led Disney to building Project Future/Disney World in Central Florida.
Granted, certain details can sometimes be dry but we wanted to make sure that we did not just repackage a book of anecdotes that already existed.
Almost all of the material in the book is from original interviews with individuals involved in the project as well as research from the National Archives, Florida State Archives, and other archived materials.
While I did cite to a few of Richard's interesting anecdotes, his book was not the source for any material beyond that which was cited. Much of the sourcing actually came from a series of depositions in the National Archives that key participants gave in a couple of federal lawsuits related to the project.
Anyhow, I just wanted to share some background on the book and my goals with it. The number one goal was to accurately share new information from original and reliable sources.
We may differ on the writing style or even the focus on certain events or details but if you are interested in the technical details about how and why Disney selected Central Florida instead of other places, I hope this adds to your knowledge.
If anyone has any questions, you are welcome to email me at chaddemerson at gmail dot com or call me at 334.201.5241.
I'll be at the Orlando Public Library Main Branch this Saturday at 2pm for a public presentation followed by one at 6pm for the local NFFC chapter.
I always enjoy the opportunity to visit with others about Project Future.
Thanks, Chad.