Under fire from departing employees, Florida’s Disney World oversight chief Glen Gilzean says he thinks morale has improved at the district that’s playing a starring role in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ battle with the theme park giant.
Gilzean touted new policies on Wednesday that he says have boosted employee “well-being and work-life balance” six months into his tenure leading DeSantis’ tourism oversight district.
“The morale in the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has … increased as my open-door policy continues to be utilized by staff members who have met with me directly,” Gilzean said at the district’s board meeting. “Some staff have shared that this is the first time they’ve actually had a chance to meet with the district administrator.”
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Starting this year, employees received Veterans Day off as a paid holiday, and they’ll also get an extra day off for the Thanksgiving holiday, Gilzean said.
He said the new administration has recorded other successes, including striking a union deal boosting firefighter pay and creating a program to award contracts to veteran-owned and local businesses.
More than 40 of the district’s 370 employees have left since it was taken over by DeSantis and his Republican allies in February, amounting to about 10% of the workforce. For more than five decades, Disney effectively controlled the district, which provides fire protection and other government services for its Central Florida theme parks and resorts.
DeSantis seized control of the district in February, replacing five Disney-friendly board members with his Republican supporters.
Gilzean, the former CEO of the Central Florida Urban League and an ally of DeSantis, was hired by the new board in May to serve as the district’s administrator. His candidacy was helped by Mike Sasso, the board’s then vice chair and the best man in Gilzean’s wedding. Sasso resigned from the board later in May when his wife, Meredith Sasso, was named to the Florida Supreme Court.
Shaking up the administration, Gilzean brought in Paula Hoisington, chairwoman of the Central Florida Urban League’s board, to serve as chief of staff. She has since been promoted to deputy district administrator.
Several employees gave the district’s new administration scathing reviews in their exit surveys, which were first obtained by the investigative news website Seeking Rents.
One ex-employee said in an exit interview the “workplace culture has been destroyed,” while another said the special district’s legacy is being “destroyed.”
The district also faced a backlash over a decision to end a program that provided free theme park passes and Disney discounts to employees. Instead, the Disney perks will be replaced with a $3,000 annual stipend.
Gilzean also touted the district’s new purchasing policies after reports that his administration awarded a $242,500 no-bid contract to a company owned by Freddie Figgers, who served with Gilzean on the Florida Commission on Ethics. As scrutiny mounted, the district canceled the contract to upgrade its 911 network at Figgers’ request that it be competitively bid.
The district is launching a website to give Central Florida businesses an opportunity to compete for contract opportunities, Gilzean said.
“We have achieved significant and historic progress for taxpayers and those who visit the district,” he said.
The district has been locked in a legal dispute with Disney, its largest taxpayer. Disney sued DeSantis and state officials in federal court, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.” The district sued Disney in state court in an effort to undo binding development agreements approved by the previous board.
The new board stocked up on legal firepower by hiring two politically connected law firms: Washington-based Cooper & Kirk and Lawson Huck Gonzalez, which was founded earlier this year by three heavyweight Florida lawyers.
Board Chairman Martin Garcia said he’s “grateful” Gilzean has made changes that will extend contracts to small businesses in Central Florida.
“The policy before this board took over was to essentially give business to favored businesses of the largest taxpayer in the district,” he said.
