Ron DeSantis has asked Florida’s inspector general to investigate whether a now-defunct board appointed by Disney spent $2 million of taxpayers’ money on perks.
The DeSantis administration took over Disney’s governing body in February and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District as part of an ongoing battle between the entertainment giant and the conservative governor.
The governor’s hand-picked board told the state’s inspector general on Monday that the previous board paid Disney more than $2 million in 2022 for its members to get season passes and discounts on merchandise, hotels, food and beverages.
Members of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as the body was previously known, spent $492,382.96 on park tickets, $16,837.39 on merchandise discounts, $4,969.52 on food and beverage discounts, and $3,764.48 on water parks, according to documents seen by the New York Post.
Employees for the district also spent thousands on resort stays at Disney’s Yacht Club, Disney Caribbean Beach and Disney Coronado Springs, according to the bill.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has asked the state’s inspector general to investigate whether a now dismantled Disney-appointed board has improperly used taxpayer money
Members of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as the body was previously known, spent $492,382.96 on park tickets, $16,837.39 on merchandise discounts, $4,969.52 on food and beverage discounts, and $3,764.48 on water parks
The district recorded $169,012,258 in total revenues and $178,736,100 in total expenses.
The new board has sifted through thousands of documents in their search for inappropriate behavior by their predecessors.
A Florida law limits board members’ compensation to $100 per month.
The new board’s request is the latest move in the battle between DeSantis and Disney.
Earlier this month, the new board abolished all of Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The hand-picked DeSantis commission accused the decommissioned Reedy Creek Improvement District of “discriminating against Americans based on gender and race, which has cost taxpayers millions of dollars.”
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said the scrapped DEI programs were akin to “race hiring” and “implemented hiring and contracting programs that discriminated against Americans.”
A board statement added that the decision comes after an investigation into Reedy Creek’s past policies, which it called “illegal and simply un-American.”
“The district DEI committee will be disbanded and all DEI duties will be abolished. Staff will also no longer be allowed to use staff time to pursue DEI initiatives,” said district administrator Glenton Gilzean, a longtime ally of DeSantis.
In February, DeSantis officially took control of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement district in its war with the “corporate kingdom.”
The move gave him the power to select the board and force Disney to pay $700 million in taxes and debt.
Disney responded by suing the governor, accusing DeSantis of punishing the company for his opinions and violating his rights of free speech.
The new board’s request is the latest move in the battle between DeSantis and Disney
The war between Disney and Florida’s governor began when then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek released a statement condemning DeSantis for the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law
Disney has sued the governor, accusing DeSantis of punishing the company for his opinions and violating his right to free speech. The photo shows Disney’s current CEO, Bob Iger
In the filing, executives accused DeSantis and Florida of a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” in the strife sparked by Disney criticizing the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The Sunshine State now controls the formerly self-governing special tax-exempt district that includes the entire Walt Disney World Resort, which was established in 1967.
Home to the Disney World and Walt Disney World resorts, the special tax district employs 75,000 people and attracts 50 million visitors annually.
The new board is composed of business people, lawyers and school administrators from all over the country.
Previously, the Reedy Creek Improvement District could act with the same authority as a county government, make its own rules and govern itself.
The acquisition was the culmination of a nearly year-long battle between DeSantis and Disney that stemmed from the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act.
Then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek released a statement condemning DeSantis for the law, which critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it prevents educators from including discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in their curriculum from kindergarten through third grade.
It came after Chapek, who is no longer CEO of Disney, said he would not take a position on the matter. But the day after the bill was passed, the former CEO denounced it while offering a $5 million donation to the LGBT advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign.
In response to the controversy, Disney paused their contributions to Florida political campaigns and reviewed their “approach to advocacy, including political giving in Florida.”