Disney firefighters are distraught by DeSantis' 'disturbing' move to strip them of free park passes

[Zorro]

Employees of Walt Disney World’s governing district on Wednesday confronted new board members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis over a decision to eliminate their access to free passes and discounts to the theme park resort, saying it makes park visits unaffordable.

During a monthly board meeting, several current and former district firefighters spoke emotionally about how the free passes to Disney parks were a benefit for them and their families that played a major role in their decision to work for the 56-year-old district, which provides municipal services like mosquito control, drainage, wastewater treatment, planning and firefighting to Disney World.

“The removal of this benefit takes away, for some, their entire reason for working here,” said firefighter Pete Simon.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District earlier this week said that $2.5 million in season passes and discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided the district’s 400 employees amounted to unethical perks that benefited the company, with the district footing the bill. The district on Monday submitted a complaint to a state Inspector General, which investigates fraud, mismanagement, waste and abuse.

https://fortune.com/2023/08/24/disney-firefighters-ron-desantis-free-park-passes-benefits-orlando/

More from the article:

Board chair Martin Garcia defended the decision. The passes and discounts unfairly favored Disney over other restaurants and shops that operated within the district, employees with large families got a greater benefit than single employees and a private company can’t give gifts to government workers who provide services to it, Garcia said.

In its place, the district was offering employees more than $1,400 in a wage increase, he said.

The new board really knows how to take care of the people that work for them...

And then there's this:

Disney World’s Reedy Creek firefighters endorse DeSantis despite law to abolish district

https://www.firerescue1.com/politics/articles/disney-worlds-reedy-creek-firefighters-endorse-desantis-despite-law-to-abolish-district-cDZcCt6fPkLwlx0V/