DeSantis' appointees allege Disney of corporate cronyism

(MENAFN) In a latest development in the ongoing power struggle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Walt Disney World, the governor's appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) released a series of reports on Wednesday, justifying their takeover and levying accusations against their Disney-controlled predecessors. The reports characterize the prior Disney-led governance as "the most egregious exhibition of corporate cronyism in modern American history."

The CFTOD, responsible for municipal services in the central Florida region encompassing Disney World, has become the focal point of a bitter dispute between Disney and Governor DeSantis. Municipal services provided by the district include planning, mosquito control, and firefighting within the approximately 40 square miles that constitute Disney World.

During a board meeting on Wednesday, attorney David Thompson, hired by the district, asserted that Disney's portrayal of the prior government as a model of good governance was a "fairy tale." He argued that the audit commissioned by the governor's appointees revealed that the previous model was, in fact, a failure.

The feud originated last year when Disney publicly opposed Florida's "don't say gay" law, which prohibits classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. Governor DeSantis, a proponent of the law and a contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, retaliated by seizing control of the district that Disney had managed for over five decades. Five board members loyal to the governor were subsequently appointed.

This conflict has spilled into both state and federal courts, with a scheduled hearing next week in the federal case where Disney accuses Governor DeSantis of violating the company's free speech rights. The battle between Disney and the governor's appointees continues to unfold in both legal arenas and public opinion.

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