Disney district under DeSantis control eliminates diversity programs

In a significant move reflecting the agenda of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have been abolished from Walt Disney World’s governing district. This decision comes as the district, now controlled by DeSantis’ appointees, aims to align with the governor’s efforts to limit such programs across higher education and beyond.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District announced the elimination of its diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, as well as all associated job responsibilities. Additionally, initiatives previously implemented by Disney supporters to promote racial and gender parity through contract awards have also been axed.

The district’s new administrator, Glenton Gilzean, an African American and former leader of the Central Florida Urban League, criticized these initiatives as “illegal and simply un-American.” Gilzean, who has affiliations with conservative institutions such as the James Madison Institute and the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network, also serves as a DeSantis appointee on the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Stating that the district will no longer contribute to the division by race or perpetuate the belief in inequality, Gilzean emphasized the importance of working together for a thriving community. “As a former head of the Central Florida Urban League, a civil rights organization,” he said, “I can confidently assert that our community prospers when we embrace our differences.”

A request for comment was sent to Disney World.

In the previous spring, DeSantis, currently vying for the GOP presidential nomination, enacted a law preventing public colleges from utilizing federal or state funding for diversity programs.

DeSantis has also championed Florida’s “Stop WOKE” law, which prohibits businesses, colleges, and K-12 schools from providing training on specific racial concepts, such as the notion that a particular race inherently possesses racism, privilege, or oppression. However, a federal judge blocked the law’s enforcement in colleges, universities, and businesses in November, deeming it “positively dystopian.”

The establishment of the district, initially known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, played a vital role in Disney’s decision to construct a theme park resort in the vicinity of Orlando during the 1960s. The existence of a separate government enabled the company to oversee zoning, fire protection, utilities, and infrastructure services on its sprawling property. For over five decades, Disney supporters were in control of the district.

Earlier this year, DeSantis’ appointees assumed control over the district, which had been renamed, following a year-long dispute between the company and the governor. The conflict ensued after Disney publicly opposed a state law last year that prohibited classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics refer to as “Don’t Say Gay.”

In response, DeSantis seized control of the district through legislation passed by Republican lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors responsible for municipal services within the extensive theme parks and hotels. Disney retaliated by suing DeSantis and his five appointed board members in federal court, claiming violation of the company’s freedom of speech rights.

Prior to the introduction of the new board, Disney reached agreements with the previous oversight board members who were Disney supporters, stripping the newly appointed supervisors of their authority over design and development. The DeSantis-appointed governing district members subsequently filed a second lawsuit against Disney in state court, seeking to invalidate these agreements resulting from the district’s takeover.