“Republicans Break Things”: Disney District Employees Are Quitting En Masse Because They Loathe DeSantis’ Management

Michelle HollandNov 14, 2023

Minute Read

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is allegedly causing Disney district employees to quit following his hostile takeover of the area. More than 40 of 370 employees for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have resigned since February when it was named as such after DeSantis replaced Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) with his own board.

Don’t Say Gay

DeSantis made the move after Disney vocally opposed his Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law that limits discussion of sexuality and gender identity in public schools. The law has been widely interpreted as homophobic and transphobic.

Punishing Disney

Image Credit: Jerome LABOUYRIE/Shutterstock.

DeSantis sought revenge on Disney for its rejection of Don’t Say Gay and ended the company’s special zoning agreement that had been in place for many decades, stripping Disney of control of the district.

Employees Speak Out

Employees who left their jobs gave interviews to the press and revealed that they felt the district no longer cared for its employees and community and was more concentrated on political gain.

Fake Smiles

“You now see fake smiles and I am sure that a lot of employees are somewhat scared to say what they actually feel because of retaliation,” an ex-finance employee shared. Another explained how the district now “prioritizes politics above all else and will gladly sacrifice its employees, its community, and its work if there’s an opportunity to score political points.”

A Dysfunctional District

“No longer functional” came another complaint about the district, with others saying that “the workplace culture has been destroyed” and accusing leadership of cronyism. One former worker affirmed that the new board and its effects had given them “a good reason to retire.”

Management Rejects Claims

Management is sticking to a different narrative, with a spokesperson for the district insisting that many of the departed employees were already planning to retire before DeSantis’ intervention while highlighting that many long-term employees opted to stay.

“Unwavering Commitment”

The district’s director of external affairs, Matthew Oberly, refuted the allegations, stating that “we are committed to enhancing the well-being of our staff members. Our unwavering commitment is to maintain our tradition of excellence and continue delivering outstanding services to our taxpayers.”

The Ongoing Lawsuit

DeSantis and Dinsey are currently involved in a lawsuit after Disney sued the Governor for his “relentless campaign to weaponize government political power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint.”

An Unwanted Precedent

In court documents, Disney warned officials that a DeSantis victory in the case would lead to more companies being penalized for showing a “disfavored viewpoint,” proclaiming that “if the line is not drawn here, there is no line at all.”

Condemning DeSantis

Image Credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.

“The retaliation against Disney for crossing the Governor’s line was swift and severe: for the explicitly stated purpose of punishing Disney for its comments, the State immediately stripped Disney of its voting rights in the governing body that oversees Disney’s use of its own private property.”

Further Threats

If DeSantis gets his way, a prison could even be built next to Disney in the future; Republicans have also threatened to apply taxes and tolls to Disney’s hotels and nearby roads. DeSantis has additionally called for state oversight of Disney rides, and its 15-mile monorail could also be at risk.

Fighting Back

DeSantis has promised to fight back against people who are “threatening our parents and threatening our kids.” The Governor is currently trailing behind Trump in second place in the GOP primary race for the 2024 presidential election.

Hope for Disney

People online reacted to the news and were largely critical of DeSantis. “People like it when politicians go after corporations. We just want you to go after them for their greed and their corruption, not because they had the audacity to support the gays,” one forum commenter explained.

Standard Republican Behavior

“Elections matter, Florida,” one disgruntled poster wrote. “Have we figured out that Republicans break things yet?” Someone else lamented that “what DeSantis did with RCID was right out of the 3rd world socialist dictator playbook,” calling it “EXACTLY what Republicans are always saying will happen if the Democrats get in power.”

Hurting the Economy

Many people discussed the damage that DeSantis could do to Florida’s tourism industry. “You can hate Disney all you want, but you can’t deny the economic impact it provides to the county and the entire state,” one contributor observed.

“Cruel and Conniving”

“What a great time to attack a top Florida tourism destination. Why spend taxpayer resources for no reason other than to be cruel and conniving?” another poster asked, adding that DeSantis only cares about the “spotlight” and stopping “the woke.”

A Homophobic Cause

The consensus was that DeSantis was not only being petty, but offensive and bigoted too. “All because Disney told Florida they should treat gay people like human beings. This state is a disgusting bigoted dump,” one user declared.