Walt Disney World’s governing district has abolished all its diversity, equity and inclusion programs months after Florida governor Ron DeSantis took away its self-governing powers.
DeSantis’ handpicked committee accused the dismantled Reedy Creek Improvement District of ‘discriminating against Americans based on gender and race, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.’
DeSantis’ administration took over the district in February and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District – as part of the ongoing battle between the entertainment giant and the conservative governor.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said on Tuesday that the slashed DEI programs were akin to ‘race-hiring’ and ‘implemented hiring and contracting programs that discriminated against Americans.’
A statement by the board issued on Tuesday claimed the decision comes after an investigation into the the Reedy Creek Improvement District’s former policies, which the board called ‘illegal and simply unamerican.’
Walt Disney World’s governing body, formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District, has abolished all its diversity, equity and inclusion
Ron Desantis’ administration took over the district in February and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
Administrator Glenton Gilzean said the district’s former practices were akin to ‘race-hiring’ and ‘implemented hiring and contracting programs that discriminated against Americans’
‘The district’s DEI committee will be dissolved and any DEI job duties will be eliminated. Staff will also no longer be permitted to use any staff time to pursue DEI initiatives,’ said the district’s administrator Glenton Gilzean, a lontime allky of DeSantis.
The director went on to claim the district’s Minority/ Women Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs ‘awarded contracts based on racially and gender driven goals to businesses on the basis of their owners’ race and gender.’
‘Through the program, the Reedy Creek Improvement District instituted gender and racial quotas to ensure that contractors met a certain threshold of diversity. In order to meet these quotas, it is estimated that the district had to pay millions of dollars more in order to find businesses who could comply,’ the statement added.
Reedy Creek employees also ‘aggressively’ monitored contractor’s racial and gender practices after entering into contracts, and threatened those who did not keep up with racial or gender quotas with nonpayment and disqualification from future bidding, according to Gilzean.
‘Our district will no longer participate in any attempt to divide us by race or advance the notion that we are not created equal,’ Gilzean said.
‘As the former head of the Central Florida Urban League, a civil rights organization, I can say definitively that our community thrives only when we work together despite our differences.’
The district’ guidelines change will affect only government entities, not private companies that operate in the district.
Back in February, DeSantis officially took control of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement district in his war with the ‘corporate kingdom.’
The move gave him the power to select the board and force Disney to pay $700 million in taxes and debts.
Disney responded by suing the governor, accusing DeSantis of punishing the company over its opinions, violating its free speech rights.
In the filing, company executives accused DeSantis and Florida of a ‘targeted campaign of government retaliation’ in the battle sparked by Disney criticizing the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
Glenton Gilzean is a long-standing ally of DeSantis
The war between Disney and the Florida governor started when Disney’s then CEO Bob Chapek released a statement condemning DeSantis for the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law
Disney has sued the governor, accusing DeSantis of punishing the company over its opinions, violating its free speech rights. Pictured is current Disney CEO Bob Iger
The Sunshine State now has power over the formerly self-governing, special tax exempt district encompassing the entire Walt Disney World Resort, which was established in 1967.
Special tax district Reedy Creek is the home to Disney World and Walt Disney World resorts, it employs 75,000 people and attracts 50 million visitors every year.
The new board is composed of businessmen, lawyers and school board members from across the state.
Previously, Reedy Creek Improvement District was able to act with the same authority as a county government, making its own rules and governing itself.
The takeover was the culmination of a nearly year-long battle between DeSantis and Disney stemming from passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill.
Disney’s then CEO Bob Chapek released a statement condemning DeSantis for the law, which critics have dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill because it restricts educators from including in their curriculum discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.
It came after Chapek, who is no longer CEO of Disney, said he wouldn’t take a stand on the matter. But the day after the bill passed, the former CEO condemned it while offering a $5 million donation to LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.
In response to the controversy, Disney paused their contributions to Florida political campaigns and assessed their ‘approach to advocacy, including political giving in Florida.’
