In a recent turn of events, Ron DeSantis’s oversight of the Disney Tax District has run into questionable territory. After recruiting a new government for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, DeSantis seemed confident his actions would hinder Florida’s largest private employer’s ability to maintain roads and services around the Disney world parks. However, events may not have unfolded quit as DeSantis expected. Miscalculations from DeSantis seem to have backfired, allowing Disney to press on with their operations.
One of the newly recruited members, Glen Gilzean, continued his role as chair of the state ethics commission while serving as the administrator of the reimagined district. In stark contradiction to DeSantis’s actions, an ethics commission lawyer has since pointed out that this dual role indeed violates state law.
The legal opinion of the ethics commission’s General Counsel, Zuilkowski, reveals that Gilzean had acknowledged the potential conflict in April. He intended to keep his commitment to the ethics commission while simultaneously holding the new position in the Disney district. Independent investigative news organization, Florida Bulldog, brought light to the issue before any associated state lawyers had noticed the legal discrepancies.
How the actions of DeSantis played out from the start seems to reflect a litany of miscalculations. His attempt to dissolve the board resulted in the realization that this would leave the state responsible for overwhelming debts. The replacement board, inspite of their negligible work, managed to neglect their right to lodge a timely objection against the contracts set up by the previous board. This negligence has left them facing the consequences of a constitutional law suit.
One legitimate victory for team DeSantis was the success in a state court case against Disney which was brought about by the new board. Yet, tragic irony is not lost here as the sleeping board members had failed to object in time and are now disputing the contracts’ legitimacy. This seeming lapse of judgement has prompted other members of the legal profession to voice doubt over the state judge’s decisions. Nonetheless, it seems Disney is not backing down, as evidenced by its recent filing of answer and counterclaims in the state case.
Even though the legal opinion by the ethics lawyer stands clear, it appears the future for DeSantis and his overhauled board remains uncertain. Despite the recent controversy, Gilzean might risk going against state law in order to retain his dual role.
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