The fight between Walt Disney World and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the ultimate fate of the theme park’s special district is going to be settled in court. But by the time that happens, it looks like a lot of the damage may already be done. It seems that after DeSantis installed his handpicked board to take over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, a lot of employees have been reacting to the change in the same way, by quitting.
Florida Journalist Jason Garcia reports that over the last several months more than 30 employees, some of whom have worked there for decades, have resigned from what is now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and many have specifically cited issues with the new board, which some are describing as “unqualified and incompetent," as their reason for leaving.
On his Seeking Rents substack Garcia posts images from employee exit surveys, obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, which specifically state that morale within the special district is low and that workplace culture has been severely damaged by the new board. There’s even an image of one person who has apparently decided to leave because so many other people have already left, that the district is “no longer functional.”
All the resignations are potentially a big deal because even if a court eventually sides with Disney World, to the point that the district ultimately reverts to something more closely resembling what the Reedy Creek Improvement District was before all the changes, the lack of experienced staff is going to mean that Disney World will be dealing with the ramifications of all this, likely for years to come.
When the new law was passed, it was argued that things would be better for employees, especially firefighters and first responders, who had been fighting for a new contract with the old board. However, we’ve seen the new board remove employee benefits including Disney World passes, a move that many firefighters specifically took issue with. The Reedy Creek fire chief is one of those who recently resigned from the district.
Disney World has filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that the law that replaced the old district board is part of a pattern of retaliation against Disney following the company’s decision to speak out against a Florida law. No other special districts have undergone the same changes as the one that oversees Walt Disney World. And a new district, strikingly similar to the old Disney World one, was recently formed to oversee Universal Orlando Resort’s new Epic Universe theme park.
