On Monday, appointees of Governor Ron DeSantis to the board that administers Disney World’s governing district launched a new front against the company: free permits and employee discounts. Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board members filed a complaint with the state Inspector General, alleging that the millions of dollars in season passes and discounts on hotels, merchandise, food, and beverages that their Disney-supporting predecessors gave to governing district employees constituted unethical perks and benefits.
Before the DeSantis appointees took over the governing board and it was still controlled by Disney supporters, district employees and their families received approximately $2.5 million in discounts and passes last year, according to a news release from the board. According to the press release, the arrangement was self-serving for the company because it funneled money back to Disney.
Disney did not respond to a request for comment via email. A spokesperson for the board did not respond to a request for the Inspector General’s letter, which investigates fraud, mismanagement, waste, and abuse. According to Richard Foglesong, emeritus professor of Rollins College and author of the definitive account of Disney World’s governance, “Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando,” the arrangement resembles an employee benefit rather than a taxpayer scam.
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DeSantis Appointees and Administrator’s Dual Role Ethics Concerns
The complaint by the DeSantis appointees comes at a time when the district administrator they appointed in May is facing his own ethical dilemma. In addition to earning $400,000 annually in his new position, Glen Gilzean also serves as chairman of the Florida Commission on Ethics. A commission counsel opined last week that he cannot simultaneously serve on the commission board and work for the district because the commission prohibits public employees from serving on its board.
The conflict between DeSantis and Disney began last year, when the company, under significant internal and external pressure, publicly opposed a state law prohibiting early-grade classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.
As retribution, DeSantis appointed a new board of supervisors to supervise municipal services for the expansive theme parks and hotels under legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature. However, the new board’s authority over design and construction is constrained by contracts signed with Disney-supporting successors before the new board took office.
In response, Florida legislators enacted legislation nullifying these agreements.
Disney has filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis, alleging that the governor violated the company’s free speech rights. The district has filed suit in state court against Disney in an effort to nullify the agreements.
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Source: ABC News
