DeSantis Appointees Target Disney Over Free Passes, Employee Perks

ORLANDO, FL — Board members appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World's governing district are targeting the company for offering employees free season passes and other discounts, according to multiple reports.

Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District filed a complaint with the state inspector general this week, claiming that the millions of dollars in season passes and discounts on hotels, merchandise, food, and beverages given by the previous board amounted to unethical benefits and perks.

Last year alone, before DeSantis appointees took over the governing board, around $2.5 million in discounts and passes were given to district employees and their families, the board said in a news release.

"For decades, the former Disney-run (Reedy Creek Improvement District) used taxpayer funds to provide season passes and amusement experiences to its employees and their family members, cover the cost of discounts on hotels, merchandise, food, and beverages, and give its own board members VIP Main Entrance passes," board members said in a statement obtained by The Hill.

"In addition to constituting unethical benefits and perks, the scheme raises significant questions regarding self-dealing as the board members were only permitted a maximum of $100 per month in compensation per the Reedy Creek Improvement District Act," the statement continued.

The complaint is the latest in a months-long feud between Disney, DeSantis and the governor's board appointees.

In February, lawmakers passed legislation allowing the state to take control of Disney World's independent special taxing district known as the Reedy Creek, which gave Disney World the right to self-govern its 25,000-acre footprint in Orange and Osceola counties.

The legislation renamed the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and gave DeSantis the power to select the five-person board.

The move by Florida lawmakers was primarily seen as retaliation for the entertainment giant publicly opposing Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

In March, board members appointed by DeSantis learned Disney's previous board passed a 30-year agreement and restrictive covenants that made new members powerless to manage Disney's future growth in Florida, the Orlando Sentinel first reported.

The board appointed by DeSantis later voted to nullify the agreement. Minutes later, Disney sued DeSantis, the five-member board, and other state officials in federal court, accusing DeSantis of orchestrating "every step" in a "targeted campaign of government retaliation."

Days later, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted unanimously to countersue Disney and defend itself in federal court.

Since both lawsuits were filed, Florida lawmakers passed a proposal to nullify the controversial development agreement between Disney and the company's previous board.

The complaint from the DeSantis appointees comes as the district administrator they appointed last May faces an ethics dilemma of his own.

Glen Gilzean, who earns $400,000 annually in his new job, also is chair of the Florida Commission on Ethics. He can't simultaneously be a commission board member and work for the district because the commission prohibits public employees from serving on its board, a commission attorney said last week in a legal opinion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.