FLORIDA — Some employees of the special district that oversees Disney World spoke out Wednesday against a decision from the Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed board to eliminate theme park passes, Disney discounts and other perks.

Leaders with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District announced Monday plans to get rid of the perks, calling the millions of dollars spent by the Reedy Creek Improvement District on the benefits a “scheme” to funnel money back to Disney.

During the board meeting Wednesday, firefighters with the district criticized the decision, saying the passes and other perks were one of the incentives to work for Reedy Creek.

“For me, when I was applying here, and got a job offer, I sat down and did a pros and cons list,” Lt. Paramedic Pete Simon said. “My top three pros were a step plan, better insurance because we offer dental and vision, and the kicker for me was that I’d be able to take my family to the parks, my three little girls to the parks.”

Simon, who acknowledged that the firefighters’ union was initially supportive of the new board when the state took control of Reedy Creek, called the latest move the start of the “dismantling” of the district.

“We were promised this new administration was going to make this place better,” he said. “Was going to run it better. Get us all the resources that we’ve been needing because we were getting nowhere with the previous administration. All we’ve seen and heard are cuts. Cuts to budget, cuts to possible staffing, cuts to maintenance, and now cuts to benefits.”

Another firefighter, named Aaron, talked about the memories he made visiting the theme parks with his dad, who earned a lifetime pass after working for the fire department.

“When entering this field, my goal was to become a firefighter with Reedy Creek, and one of the biggest draws was the chance to be that dad that was able to make those same memories that I was able to make with my dad,” he said, while fighting back tears.

District board chairman Martin Garcia, however, defended the recent decision, saying that the park-related perks were unfair to other businesses in the district, favoring one over the other. He also said the perks could be illegal.

“The old policy was that the board that was appointed essentially by Disney, was paying $2.5 million a year to Disney for passes to be given to our employees,” Garcia said. “So the benefit was exclusive to one taxpayer in the district. It wasn’t a pass that the employee could take to a non-Disney business and say ‘I’ve got a $1,000 pass or $2,000 pass and I’d like to use it in a non-Disney restaurant or business, or a non-Disney hotel.’”

Instead of passes, Garcia said the board is considering a move to increase employee wages by $1,425—but that number could go higher “with further information.”

“We are trying to equitably replace the policy that we’ve eliminated and trying to be as fair as we can to everybody,” he said.

On Monday, the district announced that it has submitted a referral to the Florida inspector general, seeking an investigation into the previous perks policy.

This comes amid an ongoing battle between DeSantis and Disney, which began in 2022 after the company opposed Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law.

Disney has filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis and the board, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” following several actions by officials, including the board’s decision to void development agreements Disney made with Reedy Creek.