He Scored A Huge Payday From DeSantis’ Disney District, And Then Bolted His Super PAC

Over the past few weeks, a common theme has been surrounding the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and the “Don’t Back Down” Super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. That theme, disfunction. The new Board of DeSantis appointees have seen over 10 percent of its workforce leave since it took over in February, taking more than 400 years of service to the Reedy Creek Improvement District. 

Related: DeSantis Cronies Are Scoring Huge Paydays Courtesy of the New Disney District

The Orlando Sentinel has also been running stories about the huge paydays DeSantis’ political cronies have been getting courtesy of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. New District Administrator Glen Gilzean received $400,000; his chief of staff, Paula Hoisington, earned $195,000, a $55,000 raise over the previous chief. And it’s not just the people working directly for the Board getting these paydays; it’s also politically connected lawyers.

With the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District embroiled in a lawsuit with the Walt Disney Company over the formation of the District, the new Board has been forced to hire high-priced lawyers to represent them in State Court. The Board sued Disney to make any deals it struck with the previous Board null and void. The Walt Disney Company countersued, claiming the new Board violated the Contract Clause of the Constitution when it took over the District overseeing the Walt Disney World Resort.

To represent them, the new Board went all the way to Washington, D.C., to hire the law firm Cooper & Kirk. But why would a Florida-based organization employ a firm that is hundreds of miles away and charge them $795 an hour for its services? And that brings us to the second part of the recent dysfunction, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’ Super PAC, “Never Back Down.”

One of the partners in Cooper & Kirk is Adam Laxalt. That name may sound familiar to anyone who closely watches Senate races. Laxalt ran for and lost a senate seat in Nevada with DeSantis’ endorsement. He was also DeSantis’ roommate when the pair was in Naval Officer training school. The Conservative law firm was a favorite of the Florida governor when the Florida Department of Education was forced to defend the state’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In 2022, the state authorized $2.8 million to Cooper & Kirk for legal representation. 

And up until yesterday, Laxalt was the Chairman of “Never Back Down.” Reuters reports that yesterday, Laxalt resigned as the Chairman of the DeSantis Super PAC. This is the second high-profile resignation from “Never Back Down,” with Executive Director Chris Jankowski leaving last week. After his resignation, Jankowski called his position with the PAC “untenable.” 

After the resignations, reports surfaced about arguments about spending and the direction of the Super PAC, as DeSantis’ presidential aspirations were starting to flounder. DeSantis finds himself in second place, more than 40 percent behind former President Donald Trump. He is in fourth place in New Hampshire behind former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

As the DeSantis campaign has floundered, and he has yet to find support from voters, more stories of dysfunction have continued to arise. With the first election a little over a month away, time may be running out for the campaign, especially without the help of his well-funded Super PAC. Even a debate against Gavin Newsom on Fox News might not be enough to help him. It is unclear if DeSantis will recover from this fight.

What is clear is that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will be spending millions on lawyers and giving that money to firms that are politically connected to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Every report raises questions about the Board spending millions of dollars and bending ethical rules. And in an ironic twist, all that money comes from taxes on Disney World and development taxes.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.