There’s been a new development in the drama between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) board, and Disney.

The trio are already involved in a number of lawsuits, with Disney suing Gov. DeSantis (claiming the governor violated the company’s free speech rights) and the Board suing Disney because of agreements the company made with the previous Reedy Creek District board. The Board is now claiming that some perks Disney gave to previous Reedy Creek District employees are “unethical,” calling them a “scheme” that “raises significant questions regarding self-dealing.”

Officials with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (previously the Reedy Creek Improvement District — RCID) have made a referral to the inspector general, asking them to look into certain perks that Disney provided for Reedy Creek District employees.

According to the press release, “the former Disney-run RCID 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. In 2022 alone, it cost taxpayers over $2.5 million.”

The press release cites a bill sent to the CFTOD for the amount of $492,382.96 to cover “Q1 FY22 Tickets.” Specific discounts included “Merchandise Discount Usage” ($16,837.39), “Food & Beverage Discount Usage” ($4,969.52), “Water Parks Discount Usage” ($3,764.48), and “employee handouts for hotel usage at the Disney Yacht Club Resort, Disney Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney Coronado Springs Resort.”

The board claims that this constitutes “unethical benefits and perks” and “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 CFTOD plans to eliminate the perks: “Immediately upon discovering the scheme, the CFTOD set in motion plans to eliminate it.” Essentially, employees such as firefighters and other first responders for Walt Disney World are losing certain job perks. 

Although the CFTOD has claimed that the perks were unethical, Richard Foglesong (a Rollins College professor emeritus) states that “the arrangement appears to be more like an employee benefit rather than a taxpayer scam, similar to the way professors at a university may get free passes to athletic events or free tuition for family member” (Fortune).

The Orlando Sentinel reports that CFTOD employees will “get a $1,000 annual stipend as part of the proposed changes to the district’s annual pass program.” Employees could use that money for theme park tickets, savings, emergencies such as car repairs, or any other needs.

This isn’t the only ethics dilemma happening with the CFTOD currently. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Glen Gilzean, who is currently serving as Florida’s ethics commission chairman and the administrator of the CFTOD, might have to resign from one of his roles.

Steven Zuilkowski, the ethics commission’s general counsel, has stated that, according to state law, public employees are not permitted to serve on the government watchdog panel. “[I]t appears that your position as district administrator for the district is public employment,” Zuilkowski expressed in his statement.

It’s likely we’ll hear more about this issue during tomorrow’s CFTOD board meeting.

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on all the latest Disney news.

Click here to learn more about a leadership CHANGE that may come to the CFTOD soon.

The post BREAKING: Free Park Tickets and Discounts Revoked for Employees of Disney World District first appeared on the disney food blog.