The chair of Florida’s ethics fee has an ethics downside, but it surely’s on account of working at The Mouse somewhat than being a rat.
Glen Gilzean, the brand new administrator of Walt Disney World’s governing district, can’t proceed to work in his new job and chair the Florida Commission on Ethics on the identical time since Florida regulation prohibits public staff from serving as members on the fee, in keeping with a authorized opinion issued Thursday.
The ethics fee is charged with setting the requirements of conduct for public staff and public officeholders in Florida, and it investigates complaints of violations.
Gilzean is an ally of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and was chosen to the place in May by DeSantis’ appointees who took management of the governing district’s board. The takeover was in retaliation for Disney’s public opposition to the “ Don’t Say Gay ” laws championed by DeSantis and Republican lawmakers.
Members on the ethics fee don’t earn a wage. Gilzean earns an annual wage of $400,000 because the administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Gilzean had requested the ethics fee’s lawyer to difficulty an opinion on whether or not it was kosher to carry each positions. The district is a taxing district and a political subdivision of the state of Florida, making Gilzean a public worker, in keeping with the opinion from Steven Zuilkowski, the fee’s common counsel.
“Maintaining the public employment is inconsistent with the requirements” of being a fee member, the opinion stated.
An electronic mail searching for remark was despatched Friday to Gilzean and a spokesperson for the district.
A battle between DeSantis and Disney started final 12 months after the corporate, going through important stress internally and externally, publicly opposed a state regulation banning classroom classes on sexual orientation and gender identification in early grades.
As punishment, DeSantis took over the district by way of laws handed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and appointed a brand new board of supervisors to supervise municipal companies for the sprawling theme parks and lodges. But the brand new supervisors’ authority over design and building has been restricted by the corporate’s agreements with Disney-supporting predecessors, which had been signed earlier than the brand new board took over.
In response, Florida lawmakers handed laws that repealed these agreements.
Disney has sued DeSantis in federal courtroom claiming the governor violated the corporate’s free speech rights. The district has sued Disney in state courtroom, searching for to nullify the agreements.
The district requested this week for a decide to rule in its favor with no want for a trial. Disney on Thursday filed a counter-claim asking the decide for a similar factor, besides within the firm’s favor.
“Disney faces concrete, imminent, and ongoing injury as a result of the contractual impairment,” Disney stated in a courtroom submitting.
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