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Disney Loses Employees Due to Awful Conditions

another lawsuit against cftod
Credit: Reedy Creek/Flickr/Canva

The Walt Disney Company is typically known for magic and making dreams come true. Recently, though, some Disney employees feel this is no longer the case. Employees of a specific Walt Disney World division are quitting en masse.

Reedy Creek

Credit: Reedy Creek

Reedy Creek

The fight between Walt Disney World and Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has continued for a while. The conflict began when The Walt Disney Company publicially went against the controversial Parental Rights in Education law known to many as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Governor DeSantis worked to take over the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID). This District focused on overseeing essential public services (fire protection, emergency medical services, water production treatment) and environmental protections.

Related: Colbert Skit Reimagines ‘DeSantis World’ in the Wake of Reedy Creek Decision

When Governor DeSantis took over Reedy Creek Improvement District, it became the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) with a new board of supervisors appointed by DeSantis himself.

reedy creek fire department building at disney world

Credit: Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District

Employees Walk Away

The new district has been underway now for nine months. During this time, more than 30 employees have quit.

These employees have 350 years of experience put together and include almost half of the RCID senior leadership team. The positions range from critical managers involved in training to the District Administrator John Classe and Fire Department Chief Richard LePere.

florida governor ron desantis disney lawsuit lose presidential

Credit: Gage Skidmore/ Flickr

Why Are They Leaving

Some employees who have walked away are finally speaking out regarding what pushed them to quit. In a recent post by investigative reporter Jason Garcia, it was revealed that many of these employees are leaving due to inept, dishonest, and toxic leadership brought in by DeSantis.

Garcia, in his article, provides answers to exit questions given by some of those employees who left. In these exit surveys, comments such as the following were seen:

“Since the new board has been in place and John Classe has been replaced, the morale and overall feeling of the district has taken a turn. Not a good one.” That survey by a former executive assistant goes on to say, “The legacy of this special district is being destroyed by those who have been placed in power here,” and adds that the Board and new District Administrator Glen Gilzean are “bridge burning” rather than bridge building.

Other employees refer to the fact that with more than three dozen employees leaving, the district isn’t functioning as it should. Fundamental values important to Disney, such as integrity and honesty, aren’t being seen in the new leadership.

These comments are in drastic contrast to how employees speak of their time at Reedy Creek. “This was the best place I’d ever worked,” Eulabel Vargas Maldonado, a former accountant with RCID for three years before quitting, stated. But “things were getting worse as the months passed by.” She added that leaving “made me sad.”

Reedy Creek wasn’t a perfect organization; however, it seems that the new district controlled by DeSantis is facing significant issues. If employees continue to quit, it will be interesting to see how the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) moves forward.

Related: Gov. Ron DeSantis Paying Parents in Florida to Take Their Kids to Disney World

 

 

 

 

 

About Jennifer Retzlaff

My name is Jennifer Retzlaff and I became a lifelong Disney fan during my first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of my life. I live in Iowa with my husband and two kids who are growing up too quickly for my liking. I started introducing my love for Disney early to my family with a Disney honeymoon and then trips when our youngest of 18 months. Since then, our family has been to Walt Disney World over five times and we continue to plan and dream for the next trip. I love the magic that Disney brings to people through the theme parks, cruises, adventures and movies they create. As a teacher, I try to bring that magic into my classroom to help kids believe that “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It.” I recently reached a dream of mine as I joined Magic Vacation Planner as a personal travel advisor. With this team, I can now help others plan magical vacations. As a passionate writer, I also have my own blog at magicalvacationsbyjen which is also where you can follow me on instagram for trip reviews along with tips and tricks for your next magical vacation.

6 comments

  1. Title is VERY mis-leading. Disney isn’t loosing employees…. The CFTOD is loosing employees.

  2. Aren’t Disney employees hired and supervised my Disney? Not anyone hired by DeSantis. Once again media making things look the way they want. Just like the Parental Rights bill being dubbed Don’t say Gay bill. Half truths and no facts. SMH! Media has become untrustworthy and not believable.

  3. Big surprise! Employees that quit trash their managers and the companies leadership . That’s the takeaway here. How about doing some real investigating reporting and interview the ones still on the job?

  4. This site is just doing its corporate master’s bidding. They cannot say anything even neutral about DeSantis. The only reason its on the site is that it is negative.

  5. Well, RCID employees, welcome to a typical state/local government workplace. Go ahead and get a script for antidepressants now or you won’t survive.