DeSantis Allies Get Another Huge No-Bid Contract From His Disney District Board

When the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District took over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the new Board promised a new level of transparency it said was missing from the previous Board. But since the takeover, the new Board has worked to hand over contracts to firms with close political ties to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and in some cases without putting the contracts out for a competitive bidding process.

Related: He Scored a Huge Payday from DeSantis’ Disney District And Then Bolted His Super PAC

The new Board of DeSantis appointees awarded a no-bid contract for $242,000 to upgrade the District’s 911 system to Figgers Communication. The founder, Freddie Figgers, served on the Florida Commission on Ethics with Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Administrator Glen Gilzean. Gilzean was forced to resign from the Commission after he accepted the $400,000-a-year position with the public Board, violating the Ethics Commission’s bylaws.

When the Orlando Sentinel reported news of the no-bid contract, Figgers requested that the contract be canceled and put out to a competitive bidding process. 

The Board selected the Washington, D.C. law firm Cooper & Kirk for its legal needs. One of the partners at the firm is Adam Laxalt. He and Florida Gov Ron DeSantis roomed together at officer’s training school, and up until last week, Laxalt was the chairman of DeSantis’ Super PAC. Cooper & Kirk will be paid $795 an hour for their services to the District.

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

And now, the Orlando Sentinel reports that the CFTOD has another apparent no-bid contract with a conservative public relations firm with close ties to Governor DeSantis. The District is working with Washington-based Athos for its public relations needs. The District had an in-house public relations person who was a holdover from the Reedy Creek Improvement District, but she was let go last week.

According to the Chairman of the CFTOD, Martin Garcia, Athos was hired on the advice of its legal counsel. Garcia said:

It became clear that litigation with a corporate powerhouse was inevitable, we brought in communication support. In turn, we contacted Athos — a Washington, DC-based firm renowned for its achievements in high-stakes public relations. Retaining an established PR firm is routine for high-profile litigation, particularly in instances like this where it is essential to enhance transparency by providing information about a government agency to the public.

It’s the details of hiring Athos that have remained quiet. The Sentinel made a Freedom Of Information request to the Board for records and the contract with Athos, but the CFTOD has yet to comply.

Athos has deep conservative ties in Florida. The company promotes books written by New College of Florida president Richard Corcoran, conservative education activist Christopher Rufo, and former White House Covid-19 adviser Dr. Scott Atlas.

DeSantis appointed Rufo to the New College Board of Trustees, who then hired Corcoran as president, paying him $1.3 million. Atlas delivered the keynote speech at New College’s graduation this year.

Jonathan Bronitsky co-founded Athos. He worked for former Attorney General William Barr under former President Donald Trump. In 2022, Gov DeSantis appointed Bronitsky to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates allegations of misconduct involving judges.

It could be a coincidence that nearly every hire by Walt Disney World’s new governing District has a connection to Governor DeSantis, but that seems unlikely. But we know that lawyers for the Walt Disney Company are paying attention to what the special District is up to and taking notes.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.