DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
The board of directors appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District recently made dramatic accusations that the Walt Disney Company had been “bribing” district employees for decades by giving them with perks like free annual park passes and discounts, but it turns out that the audit mysteriously did not include the near-million dollars in benefits that Disney had given the Republic Party of Florida since 2014.
Credit: Inside the Magic
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District accused Disney of “bribing” employees of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District (where the Walt Disney World Resort is located) in an 80-page document that stated, among other allegations, that:
“For years, the company treated district employees like Disney employees by, for instance, providing complimentary annual passes and steep discounts — benefits and perks that were akin to bribes”
Related: South Carolina Joins DeSantis, Deals $105 Million Blow To “Woke” Disney
Now, a report from NBC and research by Inside the Magic shows that while the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District audit was hyper-focused on the benefits enjoyed by Reedy Creek Improvement District officials, it did not mention that the Ron DeSantis political action committee received $100,000 in cash donations from Disney and thousands more in food and beverages.
Credit: Inside the Magic
Additionally, campaign finance records show that, since 2014, the Republican Party of Florida has received over $850,000 worth of in-kind donations, including hotels, food, beverage, event space, and the vaguely labeled “entertainment.”
Inside the Magic’s own research (via nonpartisan watchdog group opensecrets.org) shows that the Walt Disney Company has donated nearly $7.5 million to Republican politicians and committees since 2014.
The Walt Disney Company has responded to the “bribery” accusations from the board of directors, calling them “revisionist history,” “neither objective nor credible,” and that there are “legitimate concerns around the governance of the district under its new leadership.”
Credit: Wikimedia
Related: DeSantis’ Disney Team Scrambles After Discovering It Owes $2 Million
The feud between Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney has been brewing for months and now involves lawsuits in federal and state courts, as well as the struggle for control over the special tax district where Walt Disney World is located. We shall have to wait and see if the board’s latest attack on Disney has any effect on the company, and if the company’s massive donations to the Florida GOP will be addressed in the same fiery tones.
Inside the Magic reached out to both the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and Governor Ron DeSantis for comment, but has not heard back by the time of publishing.
Do you think Walt Disney World was bribing Reedy Creek Improvement District officials? Is it acceptable for Disney to give to political figures, but not district employees? Let’s hear your thoughts below!
This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.
