GOVERNMENT
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District: Building a Proactive Safety Culture Employees Appreciate
Supporting a Range of Public Services Across the District
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly known as Reedy Creek Improvement District, is a local government entity created in 1967 to support economic development and tourism in the area. In 2023, it was restructured and renamed under new state-appointed leadership.
The District covers about 25,000 acres across Orange and Osceola counties and is responsible for land use, environmental protection, and essential public services such as fire and emergency response, water and wastewater systems, power, road maintenance, and waste management.
Across the organization, hundreds of employees drive as part of their daily responsibilities. Whether traveling between sites or supporting operations, safe vehicle operation is a key part of the job for a wide range of roles.
“No matter the role of our employees, everyone is expected to properly function in a motor vehicle while on district business, even if it’s to pick up doughnuts,” said Dana Keller, Risk Manager.
● THE CHALLENGE
Changes in MVR Review Process Created Operational Gaps
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District had access to annual Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) through the State of Florida at no cost. However, changes in how those records were delivered created significant operational challenges.
Instead of receiving clear, manageable reports, the team began receiving thousands of pages per employee, making it difficult to process and act on the information.
At the same time, they recognized a deeper issue within their program. Annual MVR checks created gaps in visibility, allowing license status changes to go unnoticed for extended periods.
These challenges highlighted the need for a more proactive and manageable approach to monitoring employees’ driver records.
“There are so many ways that employees can lose their licenses… And most employees don’t even know their license is suspended,” said Dana.
● THE SOLUTION
From Manual Checks to Continuous Monitoring
To address these gaps, Central Florida Tourism Oversight District began searching for a solution that could monitor employee driving records continuously, while also meeting state and privacy requirements. Their previous process relied heavily on manual review, making it time-consuming and difficult to keep up with changes.
They chose Embark Safety to take over driver record monitoring and strengthen compliance efforts.
“I liked that Embark Safety wasn’t trying to do 99 things, but instead just one thing—and from what I saw, they did it really well,” said Dana.
With continuous MVR Monitoring in place:
- Driver records are monitored automatically on an ongoing basis
- Near real-time alerts notify the team of status changes and new violations
- Administrative burden is reduced with a more streamlined, user-friendly system
“I loved the software interface right away. It’s so easy to add or deactivate drivers” Dana shared.
● THE IMPACT
Driving a More Proactive Safety Culture
Today, Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has greater visibility into the status of their drivers and can respond more quickly to incidents.
Near real-time alerts allow the team to notify employees soon and shift from a reactive process to a more proactive approach.
“We can let employees know about changes in their motor vehicle records in a much timelier manner rather than once a year,” the team shared. “This contributes to an overall feeling that we’re being more proactive in monitoring our drivers and is a key aspect of our risk management strategy.”
An unexpected outcome has been a positive response from employees. As they noted:
“The absolute best result is the employees love this… They are so grateful for this service.”