Morale Plummets After DeSantis Board Takeover Of Disney World Government

How are things going since the Ron DeSantis-appointed board took over the Reedy Creek Improvement District governing Walt Disney World? Here is what ex-employees have to say about the matter.

DeSantis vs. Disney

By now, it is likely that you have heard at least something about the ongoing legal feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney World. The catalyst was when former CEO Bob Chapek publicly denounced Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill.

Shortly thereafter, DeSantis dissolved Disney’s long-standing governing body, the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID). He then replaced it with his own Central Florida Tourism Overnight District (CFTOD), made up of members DeSantis appointed himself. You can read about the entire exchange and the operational changes it has led to HERE.

And, it should be no surprise that this has led to a federal lawsuit. On the other hand, it may at least slightly be surprising that it eventually led to an additional lawsuit and a countersuit. Or perhaps it isn’t surprising all things considered.

Employee Morale

Caught in the middle of all this are the hard-working employees who initially signed on with the Reedy Creek Improvement District. It appears morale has deteriorated since the DeSantis-appointed board takeover.

Some of this could be in part due to decisions made by the board to end popular and long-standing employee benefits. You can read about that decision HERE. But, there is more to it than that.

Ex-Employees Speak Out

Data shows that more than 40 of the district’s estimated 370 employees have quit since the take-over. That means nearly 11% of employees have quit in well under a year, which is a relatively alarming rate! It is certainly enough to raise concerns considering the wealth of knowledge that followed them out the door. Even more concerning, this number includes nearly half of senior leadership.

According to Seeking Rents, a publication that has been gathering qualitative data from employee exit surveys, those who left cited various reasons for their departure. However, the overarching commonality is that most of them left due to declining morale and a general lack of trust. After all, morale has reportedly plummeted since the takeover.

Many of the former employees praised the former RCID for being so pro-employee. However, the CFOTD-run workplace has reportedly become very political and full of cronyism.

Employees who departed reported that they no longer feel valued nor do they feel the interest of the community is being valued. Instead, the prevailing perspective of those leaving is that the new board values politics and the opportunity to score political points above community and devoted long-time employees.

Of course, the information is limited to the perspective of those who have parted ways with the company. Perhaps there are also just as many employees who are satisfied with their workplace despite the shift from the RCID to the CFTOD. If there are, they have been awfully quiet about it.

What do you think about the state of matters since Ron DeSantis’s appointed board took over Disney World’s government? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Seeking Rents