DeSantis Disney Board Cleans House, Firing Senior Staff For Loyalists

It won’t be a Happy Thanksgiving for some former Reedy Creek Improvement District employees. And that list of former employees just keeps growing by the week. Last week, the number of former Reedy Creek employees who have resigned from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District stood at 40. And now, according to the Orlando Sentinel, that number has just grown by four more this week.

Images Credit: Disney, National Urban League, Gage Skidmore, Flickr

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According to the Sentinel, on Monday, the new Board dismissed Eryka Washington Perry, director of communications, and Jason Middleton, chief of human resources, along with an administrative assistant and facilities maintenance specialist. The District declined to comment when asked by the paper. However, the Sentinel received a copy of an internal memo that went out to the District from Administrator Glen Gilzean.

Gilzean said in an email to employees:

These separations were isolated and specific and are not representative of our team members who show up every day with excellence and a clear vision of a stronger tomorrow for our taxpayers and visitors. 

The former Reedy Creek Improvement District hired both Washington Perry and Middleton. Middleton served as chief of staff to the former Reedy Creek administrator. John Classe and Washington Perry handled all of the District’s communications until the new Board took over earlier this year.

Credit: Disney/ Gage Skidmore, Flickr

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District Replacements

As we reported earlier this month, those loyal to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have found a lucrative home at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and the replacements for Washington Perry and Middleton are no different. The cronyism started with the Board of DeSantis appointees. They were politically connected to Governor DeSantis and had no experience running a district the size and scope of Reedy Creek, which formerly oversaw the property, including the Walt Disney World Resort.

Glen Gilzean left his position at the Central Florida Urban League to become the District administrator, with a $400,000 salary. When John Classe was let go as the District administrator, Middleton was moved to human resources before being fired this week. To serve as his chief of staff, Gilzean selected Paula Hoisington, chairwoman of the Central Florida Urban League’s Board, where he worked before leaving for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Hoisington started at the District with a salary of $195,000 and recently received a raise of $55,000.

Credit: Disney/Gage Skidmore, Flickr/Canva

Related: More Employees Flee DeSantis Disney District As It is No Longer ‘Functional’

The District hired Matthew Thomas Oberly, their new head of external affairs, to replace Washington Perry. However, most of the District’s recent public statements have been written by Athos. This public relations firm boasts of doing promotional work for books written by former education commissioner Richard Corcoran and conservative activist Christopher Rufo, both Ron DeSantis’ allies.

The four latest departures bring the number of employees who have quit up to 44 or 12 percent of the total workforce. With them, these employees have taken more than 400 years of service to the Reedy Creek District. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has only been in place since February. Many departing employees have left scathing reports of the new Board in their departure reports, including calling it “politicized” and “no longer functional.” They have also said that morale under the new leadership had plummeted. 

Credit: Disney

The Walt Disney Company is currently suing the new leadership on the Board in state court, seeking to regain control of the District that oversees Walt Disney World. Disney is claiming that the formation of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District violated the Contracts Clause of the Constitution.

Disney is also suing Florida Gov Ron DeSantis in Federal court, claiming government retaliation. Disney claims that the governor and the Florida Legislature used their power to strip Disney World of its special District after former CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill.

DeSantis’ request to dismiss the case will be heard later this year.