Free Disney World passes are latest front in war between Disney and DeSantis appointees

abcnews.go.com:

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district have launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for employees

Already involved in two lawsuits with Disney, Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointees to a board that oversees Disney World's governing district on Monday launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for district employees.

Board members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District submitted a complaint to the state Inspector General, claiming that the millions of dollars in season passes, as well as discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages, that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided governing district employees amount to unethical benefits and perks.

Last year alone, before the DeSantis appointees took over the governing board and it was still controlled by Disney backers, around $2.5 million in discounts and passes were given to district employees and their families, the board said in a news release.

The arrangement was self-serving to the company because it funneled money back to Disney, with the district footing the bill, the release said.

Disney didn't respond to an email seeking comment. A spokesman for the board didn't respond to a request for the letter sent to the Inspector General, which investigates fraud, mismanagement, waste and abuse.

The arrangement appears to be more like an employee benefit rather than a taxpayer scam, similar to the way professors at a university may get free passes to athletic events or free tuition for family members, said Richard Foglesong, a Rollins College professor emeritus who wrote a definitive account of Disney World’s governance in his book