DeSantis-appointed board eyes millions of dollars in cuts to Disney’s district

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A public police force that provides off-duty services to Walt Disney World’s sprawling theme park in central Florida is on the chopping block under the governing board Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed.

The board on Wednesday teased millions of dollars worth of spending cuts to the area that spans thousands of acres and provided Disney with self-governing status. Among the cuts is $8 million the district spends annually on law enforcement provided exclusively to Disney’s properties, board chair Martin Garcia said during a public meeting.

“That doesn’t make any sense to me and it doesn’t make any sense to anybody on our team that’s looked at it,” Garcia said, adding that the mega-corporation wasn't the only taxpayer in the district.

The proposal came as DeSantis continually bashes Disney while campaigning for president because it disagreed with a law limiting how and when sexual orientation and gender identity can be taught in public schools and is waging a legal battle against him. DeSantis floated numerous retaliatory measures, including building a state prison on bordering land, increasing taxes, introducing more regulations, building affordable workforce housing and exploring the sale of distinct-owned utilities.

Garcia announced the forthcoming cuts to the district, formally known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, after members adopted a reduction to the millage rate — or tax rate — during a public meeting Wednesday.

“We heard from constituents loud and clear at public meetings and while out and about in the community,” Glen Gilzean, district administrator, said at Wednesday’s meeting. “They do not want their tax rates to go up. We took their concerns to heart.”

Due to higher property values, the move won’t necessarily reduce what area homeowners and businesses pay in property taxes but will keep them from going up significantly. It will also result in a $200 million reduction in tax collections.

The board will meet those reductions by cutting spending in other areas that will be detailed in the coming weeks. Garcia didn’t specify more examples during the public meeting, but he credited Gilzean for putting “egg on my face” when he found “wasteful spending” by the previous board, which was called the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

“As we are doing more work it appears there are a number of naughty things this old board did with district funds, and we are going to look for further savings,” Garcia said.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District was largely overseen by board members representing Disney’s interests, allowing the resort and theme park to essentially run its own government. The board and Disney are currently suing each other in separate lawsuits, with Disney attempting to maintain its special privileges in Florida — ones that save it time and money.

The coveted status, not available to rival theme parks such as Universal Studios or Sea World, allowed Disney to press ahead with plans without running them by zoning commissions or building-inspection departments.

But it’s now in jeopardy after the company spoke out about a 2021 “Parental Rights” Florida law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, which bans teachers from leading classroom instruction on some LGBTQ issues.

Disney didn’t reply to POLITICO’s request to respond to the forthcoming spending cuts. The company pays $1 billion in taxes to Florida every year, provides 75,000 jobs and is the state’s largest tourist attraction.

It also had been the Pulse Nightclub shooter’s initial target before the gunman saw the police presence in the area and searched online for nearby clubs to conduct his massacre instead, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed in his 2019 memoir “The Ride of a Lifetime.”

In its deliberations, the district’s board has struck a more conciliatory tone than DeSantis, saying it wants to make changes that will help residents and small businesses in the district. “We are determined to run an open, honest, efficient, transparent, and independent government agency” Garcia said during Wednesday’s meeting.