Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Race-based contracting is out of business in Florida.
And Disney World is no exception.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), which used to be called the Reedy Creek Improvement District, is a special taxing district for Walt Disney World. The board has abolished “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs at the world-famous park.
The board also abolished its DEI Commitee.
Governor Ron DeSantis appointed all the board members.
The CFTOD conducted an internal investigation and found that the previous iteration of the district “routinely awarded contracts based on racially and gender driven goals to businesses on the basis of their owners’ race and gender” under the Minority/Women Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs.
According to the CFTOD, the previous district paid millions of dollars to find businesses that would comply with DEI initatives.
“The so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives were advanced during the tenure of the previous board and they were illegal and simply unAmerican,” district administration Glenton Gilzean said. “Our district will no longer participate in any attempt to divide us by race or advance the notion that we are not created equal. As the former head of the Central Florida Urban League, a civil rights organization, I can say definitively that our community thrives only when we work together despite our differences.”
Gov. DeSantis signed legislation in May that defunded DEI programs at taxpayer-supported colleges and universities in Florida, which went into effect on July 1. The law also allows the state to remove programs, majors, and minors that teach DEI or related issues.
The governor said the way DEI is actually implemented, it stands for “discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination,” which has no place in public institutions.
Photo credit: By Jrobertiko – Denis Adriana Macias, CC BY-SA 3.0, link
