DeSantis-appointed Disney board targets free passes, discounts for employees

Free Walt Disney World passes and discounts given to employees of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District are now being targeted.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District announced Monday a referral has been submitted to the Florida inspector general about “perks and benefits that the former Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District funneled back to Disney.”

The move came amid a battle between the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and Disney, which long benefited from the former Reedy Creek district.

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‘I’m not fine with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else,’ DeSantis said.

State lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis this year created the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to replace the Reedy Creek district amid a feud between DeSantis and Disney over the company’s opposition to a 2022 law that restricted instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.

“For decades, the former Disney-run RCID (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,” the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said in a news release Monday.

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This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2023.