The board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved a resolution to adopt a whistleblower policy, contrasting itself with the previous Disney-controlled board.
Board Chairman Martin Garcia said at a board meeting Tuesday the adoption of a formal whistleblower policy was motivated by the feedback they had received after taking office, saying employees felt their concerns were falling on "deaf ears" with the prior Disney-controlled board.
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"One of the bits of feedback we received shortly after being appointed to this board is that some of our staff and employees felt like maybe their grievances or concerns or new ideas were falling on deaf ears, with respect to the prior board. We as a board want to make sure that our policy is to be open, honest, transparent, and receptive to ideas from anybody, including our staff and employees," Garcia said.
The whistleblower policy outlines "guidance to and assist employees and persons that have knowledge of unlawful activity, misfeasance, or malfeasance by the District, its employees, or its independent contractors, in reporting such knowledge so that the District can address and correct inappropriate conduct and actions." The policy says it is not intended to replace state statutes but rather is reinforcing protections for whistleblowers. It was adopted by the board in a unanimous vote.
When asked by a member of the public why a formal policy was being established when federal and state provisions already exist, Garcia said they want to "encourage open and honest government."
"We want to encourage open and honest government, and we want to establish a culture for the employees so they feel free to come forward," Garcia said.
Before adopting the whistleblower policy, Garcia previewed that more resolutions establishing guidelines would be coming in future meetings, alluding to the lack of established policies from the prior board.
"You will see at our next meeting and the meetings after that, that we will continue to add policies and practices to make us a legitimately independent entity," Garcia said.
The district, which encompasses the Walt Disney World Resort, was restructured by the state earlier this year, and the new board was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
Shortly after taking power, the board discovered an agreement Disney made with the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District, which undercut the new board's power. After the agreement was discovered, DeSantis and the board worked to void the agreement, leading Disney to file a lawsuit against the governor and the board in April.
In the lawsuit, the company accused DeSantis and other officials of having pursued a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials." In response, the board filed a counter-lawsuit against Disney in state court.
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In the lawsuit filed by Disney in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the deadline for DeSantis's team to file a motion to dismiss is June 26. In the state lawsuit filed by the board, the first hearing is currently scheduled for July 14.
The feud between DeSantis and the company, which led to Disney's central Florida district being restructured, stemmed from Disney denouncing the Parental Rights in Education Act, which DeSantis signed into law last year. Disney had previously maintained full autonomy over the district since its creation in 1967.