ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointees to Walt Disney World's governing district released a series of reports Wednesday justifying their takeover and accusing their Disney-controlled predecessors of being part of “the most blatant exhibition of cronyism in modern American history.”
The reports commissioned by Florida's governor's appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) were the latest salvos in the ongoing court and public opinion battle between Disney and DeSantis over who controls the district. The governing body provides municipal services such as planning, mosquito control and fire suppression throughout the approximately 60 square miles of central Florida that make up Disney World.
The reports were presented at a meeting of the district council on Wednesday.
The feud began last year after Disney publicly opposed the state's so-called “don't-say gay” law, which bans classroom lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in the lower grades. The law was championed by DeSantis, who is running for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination. In retaliation, DeSantis and Republican lawmakers took over the district that Disney had controlled for more than fifty years and installed five board members loyal to the governor .
Disney, DeSantis and the District have taken their fight to state and federal courts. A hearing is scheduled for next week in the federal case, in which Disney accuses DeSantis of violating the company's free speech rights.
In a statement, Disney called the new reports “revisionist history.”
“It is neither objective nor credible, and merely seeks to advance CFOD's interests in its wasteful litigation that could derail investments within the district,” the company said. “Furthermore, it does not change the fact that the CFTOD Board was appointed by the Governor to punish Disney for exercising its constitutional right to freedom of expression.”
Disney also said in the statement that the reports were released because the DeSantis-friendly county government is facing its own accusations of cronyism and mismanagement. More than 10% of the district's 370 employees have left their jobs since the takeover, with many saying in exit interviews that the district has become politicized and now steeped in cronyism.
The main report, which the district prepared for DeSantis and lawmakers, challenges the way the government functioned before the takeover, claiming it was a “corporate subsidiary” of Disney rather than an independent governing body, with the appearance of a conflict of interest. rampant.
Disney cultivated the administrative district's employees through free annual theme park passes and steep discounts, worth millions of dollars each year, the main report said. The new administration reduced that benefit earlier this year.
The district's new administrator recently told employees they would have to pay $2 million in back taxes for the season passes. However, the district is considering covering these back taxes, district administrator Glen Gilzean said in a memo.
The main report also describes the Disney-led government as “an entity that has fueled the rise and protected corporate dominance at the expense of the public interest.”
“The revelations are, simply put, shocking,” the report says.
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