NEWS: DeSantis-Appointed Board Accuses Disney of Bribery

As the DeSantis/Disney feud wages on, a new audit report on the entertainment company has been released.

Magic Kingdom

To satisfy a mandated report “that includes a review of all remaining powers and authorities,” the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District reviewed the district’s past and present practices. We were interested in what the results had to say about Disney.

The new report, dated December 4th, outlines a lot of reactions to Disney and the way they operated under the Reedy Creek Improvement District. At one point, the report states, “For years, the company treated district employees like Disney employees by, for instance, providing complimentary annual passes and steep discounts—benefits and perks that were akin to bribes.”

Reedy Creek Improvement District

The report uses words like “capture” to describe how Disney “worked to completely capture not only RCID Board of Supervisors but all RCID employees,” and goes on to say that “Disney accomplished this regulatory capture by showering gifts and lavish spending on RCID employees…”

RCID

The report asserts that these benefits “were improper– akin to bribes of public officials and employees.” It continues, adding, “The RCID elected not to treat these benefits as taxable employee benefits.”

©Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

According to Click Orlando, Disney responded by stating, “It is neither objective nor credible, and only seeks to advance CFTOD’s interests in its wasteful litigation that could derail investment within the district. Further, it does not change the fact that the CFTOD board was appointed by the governor to punish Disney for exercising its Constitutional right to free speech.”

©Governor DeSantis’s Website

Disney also mentioned that the report has been released at the same time that the new DeSantis-appointed district is “facing its own accusations of cronyism and mismanagement.” Many district employees have quit their jobs recently, with many of them being dissatisfied with the board.

If you remember, all of this began when Disney spoke out against, what many people called, DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Now Disney is taking DeSantis to court, for violating the company’s right to free speech.

We’ll be keeping our eyes out for more updates on the fight. Stay tuned to AllEars for more details.