DeSantis's Board Members Vote to Fire Former Reedy Creek Employees & Hire Themselves

After previously announcing that it would enact a “superior authority” resolution over Walt Disney World Resort, Governor Ron DeSantis’s hand-picked Central Florida Tourism Oversight District committee members voted to terminate current Reedy Creek Improvement District Planning and Zoning Board members and self-appointed themselves. The decision Wednesday came following weeks of turmoil over Disney’s secret decision to effectively make the district powerless before transferring leadership to the state of Florida.

“Our board truly wanted to work with Disney. Instead, the corporation decided that compromise was out of the question. It was Disney’s way or the highway. This is why we were forced to hire litigation counsel,” said Martin Garcia, chairman of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, according to WESH 2. 

Gov. DeSantis was infuriated by the revelation that Reedy Creek leadership previously enacted a “King Charles clause,” stripping the board of powers beyond municipal maintenance and eliminating the ability to use Disney-owned imagery, like Mickey Mouse, until 22 years after the last presently-living descendent of King Charles III dies. He promised legal action against the Central Florida Disney Park and threatened to pass tourism tax hikes and even build a state prison in the area.

The battle began over a year ago when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek condemned DeSantis’s Parental Rights In Education Act, popularly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Disney Parks fans and Cast Members protested Disney’s silence on the then-bill, calling out the company’s previous campaign donations to politicians that supported the legislation.

Despite a direct warning from the conservative Governor, Chapek promised to pause those political donations and stood in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. In response, DeSantis introduced and passed legislation to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967, which allowed Walt Disney World Resort to operate its own municipal services.

Current Disney CEO Bob Iger, who returned to the company in November, recently affirmed Chapek’s stance on “Don’t Say Gay.” Despite the fallout, the executive said standing with the LGBTQIA+ community was a matter of “right and wrong.”

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