Three days before Thanksgiving, leaders of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Disney World oversight district fired two senior staffers and two other employees.

The district on Monday dismissed Eryka Washington Perry, director of communications, and Jason Middleton, chief of human resources, along with an administrative assistant and facilities maintenance specialist, according to an internal email obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

The departures are the latest shakeup at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which was put under state control in February and provides fire protection and other government services to Disney World. The district has been at the center of DeSantis’ nationally watched dispute with Disney that started over what critics call the “don’t say gay” law.

District officials declined to comment, but administrator Glen Gilzean addressed the employee “separations” in an internal email to employees late Tuesday.

“These separations were isolated and specific and are not representative of our team members who show up every day with excellence and a clear vision of a stronger tomorrow for our taxpayers and visitors,” Gilzean wrote in a memo that listed the employees’ names.

The memo said no other details would be released.

Both Washington Perry and Middleton were hired by the previous Disney-friendly administration known as Reedy Creek. 

Middleton served as chief of staff to the former Reedy Creek administrator, John Classe.

DeSantis’ hand-picked board hired Gilzean, the former CEO of the Central Florida Urban League, to replace Classe in May. Classe stayed on as a consultant under a one-year contract that was terminated early by the district in July.

With Gilzean in charge, Middleton moved to chief of human resources, district records show. Gilzean brought in Paula Hoisington, chairwoman of the Central Florida Urban League’s board, to serve as his chief of staff. She subsequently has been promoted to deputy district administrator.

Washington Perry, a former investigative reporter at WKMG-Channel 6, joined the district in October 2019, according to her Linkedin page. Until the new administration sidelined her, she had been the district’s lead media spokesperson.

Many of the district’s recent statements to reporters have been written by Athos, a public relations firm that bills itself as offering “strategic, high stakes communications experience in the private sector and at the highest levels of the federal government.”

District officials also have been referring reporters to Matthew Thomas Oberly, their new head of external affairs.

Athos touts on its website that it is doing promotional work for books written by former education commissioner Richard Corcoran and conservative activist Christopher Rufo, both DeSantis’ allies.

Corcoran, a former GOP Florida House speaker, was tapped to serve as president of the New College of Florida as part of a conservative takeover. Corcoran, who will earn up to $1.3 million per year in salary and benefits at New College, is launching a book next month titled, “Standing His Ground: The Inside Story of Ron DeSantis’s Rise and Battle for Freedom.”

DeSantis appointed Rufo to serve on New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees. He is the author of  “America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.”

None of the terminated employees have commented on their dismissals.

Since the state takeover at Reedy Creek, more than 40 of the district’s roughly 370 employees have retired or resigned. In exit surveys, several departing employees have given scathing reviews of the new administration, saying the “workplace culture has been destroyed.”

The district is suing Disney in state court, asking a judge to declare agreements void that give the entertainment giant control over future development.

Disney has sued DeSantis and state officials in federal court, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” in response to the company’s opposition to the “don’t say gay” law that limits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity.

At a meeting earlier this month, Gilzean said he thinks employee morale is up, thanks in part to his “open-door” policy.