DeSantis Disney Board Bending Ethics Rules, This Time With Million Dollar No-Bid Contract

In an ironic twist of fate, the Florida Ethics Commission once again finds itself in an ethical bind after another one of its members accepted a contract with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The Board appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis seemingly forgot that ethics deals with the moral principles governing a person’s behavior and that the committee’s bylaws prohibit members from working for publicly funded institutions.

Related: The Deeper People Dig, The Worse Things Look For DeSantis’ Disney Board Administrator

The ethical issues started last May when Governor DeSantis appointed the Chairman of the Florida Ethics Commission, Glen Gilzean, to be the administrator for the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. A report by the Florida Bulldog found that when Gilzean was appointed to the position, which carried an annual salary of $400,000, he had violated the bylaws of the Ethics Commission, which strictly prohibits its members from holding public employment. After the report surfaced, Gilzean resigned from his position on the Florida Ethics Commission.

And this brings us to the latest ethical quandary. In his new position as the Administrator for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Gilzean said that the Board planned to spend more than $1 million to upgrade the 911 system in the District, making it “completely separate from the Walt Disney World system.” Gilzean and the Board of DeSantis appointees also promised to cut wasteful spending within the District. They started by slashing spending on DEI programs and race-based hiring practices but also eliminated millions in road improvements and security.

But now, a story that may put a hole in the Board’s plan to save money and have accountability has come to light. According to a report from WFTV9, Orlando’s ABC affiliate, the Board has signed a contract with Figgers Communications without putting the contract out to bid. That isn’t necessarily unusual to expedite the process. However, the CEO of Figgers Communications is Freddie Figgers, a member of the Florida Ethics Commission. He served for two months on the Commission with Gilzean.

Figgers was named to the Ethics Commission in July, two months before Gilzean resigned from the committee. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis also named Figgers’ wife, Natlie, to the Board of Trustees at Florida A&M University, where she is an alumnus.

According to the report, Board members reached out to Figgers in early August, while he and Gilzean were still serving together, to inquire about his services with the 911 contract for the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. Within a week, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District sent over a contract for the work without opening it up to other bids. The District did not respond to a request for comment.

This creates another ethical dilemma for the Ethics Commission, as its bylaws prohibit its members from public employment. However, it says very little about a company owned by one of its members working for a public entity. If nothing else, working for the special district is a bad look and further fuels this volatile conflict.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.