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Credit: Inside the MagicThe Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) Board of Supervisors selected by Governor Ron DeSantis has fired new shots at Disney during their legal battle, describing the company as “shameful,” even as one of its members is embroiled in a nationally-known sex scandal.
In the wake of the abrupt decision in Disney v. DeSantis, in which U.S. District Court Judge Allen Winsor ruled that the Walt Disney Company did not have significant legal standing to sue the former presidential candidate over dissolving the special tax district around Walt Disney World, the CFTOD board has been very vocal in their criticism of Disney.
Related: Massive DeSantis $130 Million Bill Emerges in Wake of Disney Victory
Initially, board chairman Martin Garcia released a statement saying, “I’m delighted that this lawsuit, which was nothing more than a distraction, is now behind us. Our board and the district will now continue to make the appropriate changes to operate and function as an independent government agency to promote transparency and accountability while bringing more prosperity to more people in Florida.”
However, now that Disney immediately filed an appeal against the Winsor decision with the Eleventh Circuit Court, the CFTOD is done mincing words. In a new public statement, the board has gone even further, saying, “Disney just can’t win for losing in this lawsuit. First, they voluntarily dismissed almost all their causes of action against the district. Now, they are trying to revive the remaining causes of action that the Judge dismissed based upon well-established federal law.”
Then the language starts to get actually nasty, with a spokesperson continuing, “These shameful litigation tactics are costing the district unnecessary legal expenses. All the while, our board, on behalf of the district, continues to adopt new transparency and accountability governance policies, invest in new infrastructure, reduce procurement costs, reduce the district tax rate and award district contracts to small businesses that were never on the Disney preferred vendor list.”
It can argued whether filing an appeal (a very common legal practice) should be considered “shameful” or not, but it is notable that this is how the CFTOD board chose to frame the battle over the Magic Kingdom, given how their relatively brief management so far of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District has been prominently characterized by allegations of insider dealing, no-bid contracts given to associates (in direct contradiction to DeSantis’ criticism of Disney’s no-bid practices), ethic violations, and, most dramatically, board member Bridget Ziegler currently being in the middle of a nationally discussed sex scandal.
Related: Disney Demands Judge Order DeSantis To Turn Over Texts, Emails
Bridget Ziegler has largely kept a low profile during her tenure at the CFTOD but is better known as the co-founder of the controversial conservative group Moms for Liberty and is also married to Christian Ziegler, the now-former chairman of the Florida Republican Party.
While making conservative values and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric the bedrock of both of their political careers, the Zieglers were apparently conducting threesomes with an unidentified woman. Christian Ziegler was accused of sexual assault, which the Sarasota Police Department has declined to charge him with; it may charge him with video voyeurism, and the investigation is ongoing.
Do you think the CFTOD should be describing “shameful” acts by others? Let us know in the comments!