Disney's governing board picked a DeSantis ally as new administrator. He'll make a $400,000 salary to oversee the governor's agenda for the district
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- Disney's special tax district has a new administrator who will make a $400,000 salary.
- The administrator, Glen Gilzean, is a DeSantis ally and nonprofit leader.
- He'll run the day-to-day operations of the district, which a DeSantis-backed board is overhauling.
The board overseeing Walt Disney World picked a nonprofit leader and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ally to run the day-to-day operations of the resort's special tax district.
The new administrator, Glen Gilzean, will receive a $400,000 salary for the job. The compensation is $45,000 more than what the previous administrator, John Classe, received.
It is equal to what US presidents get paid, but less than what administrators of other special tax districts in Florida make. The chairman of the Disney's governing board, Martin Garcia, defended the salary as "reasonable compensation" during a board meeting on Wednesday, noting that the previous board set the pay range for the job at $271,000 to $453,000.
"It's a very different job description," Garcia explained of the current administrator role, saying that under new legislation Gilzean will have to provide new reports to the legislature and also take a position on more than 87 tax-related lawsuits Disney waged against Orange and Oceola Counties. The former administrator remained neutral on these lawsuits, Garcia said.
Gilzean is also likely to be added as a defendant in the lawsuit Disney waged against DeSantis and the new board, formally known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. In that suit, Disney accuses the governor of waging "punishment for Disney's protected speech" after it opposed a law limiting curriculum about LGBTQ topics in public schools.
"When we were out looking for a new administrator, we had to be honest with him and we couldn't just tell him the first day that he showed up that he would just be given the keys to the front door," Garcia said. "We had to tell him that he is going to not only going to be an administrator but is probably going to be a defendant in a lawsuit."
Gilzean is president and CEO at the Central Florida Urban League, an organization that provides job training and financial literacy. DeSantis appointed Gilzean to boards seven different times, including as part of a working group tasked with reopening Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and on Florida's Commission on Ethics.
The ethics commission recently rejected a complaint from MAGA, Inc., a former President Donald Trump aligned super PAC, that accused DeSantis of violating campaign finance laws with a "shadow" campaign for the 2024 GOP nomination.
"Mr. Gilzean is a bridge builder. He's a consensus builder. He's a good person," Brian Aungst, another board member, said at Wednesday's meeting.
Gilzean struck an optimistic, collaborative tone during remarks at Wednesday's board meeting, saying his job was to make the district "a much better place." One of the tasks that energized him most in his new role was the prospect of building affordable housing for Disney workers, he said.
"We all want our businesses, both big and small, to thrive," he said. "But this cannot be done by fighting endless battles in the courts. It can only be achieved by collaborating in earnest to make this district a world-class model of public-private partnership."
Disney's special tax district status exempts it from running its plans by zoning commissions or building-inspection departments. This makes their operations run more efficiently, saving them time and money.
Disney essentially picked members under the old board, but lost that power under a DeSantis-backed bill the legislature passed, one that gives the governor the power to appoint board members. The administrator will oversee Disney's government as the board considers new taxes, public transit, and other projects.
The five board members DeSantis appointed in March to oversee Disney's special tax district are unpaid. Classe, the former administrator starting in 2016, under what used to be known as the Reedy Creek District, will stay on as special advisor to help with the leadership change. He'll be paid $355,000 in that job.
Classe did everything he was asked to do under the prior board and did "good work," Garcia said.
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