TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Blindsided by a decision by the Disney-aligned governing board to undercut his authority over the special taxing district that oversees development at Walt Disney World, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday ordered an investigation into what he said appears to be “self-dealing” and other “ethical violations.”
The decision by the Reedy Creek Improvement District to “enter into last-minute development and restrictive covenant agreements with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S., Inc,” was designed to “usurp” the authority of the successor board he had appointed, DeSantis wrote in a letter to Melinda Miguel, his chief inspector general.
He asked her to launch a civil and criminal investigation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into the actions of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board. Based on initial observations of his legal counsel, he said, the board engaged in “inadequate notice, lack of consideration, improper delegation of authority, and ethical violations, such as conflicts of interest and self-dealing.”
