Ontario Premier Doug Ford scrutinized over Florida trip and hotel expense scandal

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Labour Minister David Piccini billed taxpayers $11,709 for a three‑day July 2025 trip to Orlando, Florida, to attend the LiUNA International Leadership Conference at the Walt Disney Beach Club Resort. The expenses, listed as an “international mission,” included commercial flights and hotel costs, prompting questions about the legitimacy of the claim.

The controversy has broadened to a wider hotel‑spending scandal involving former tourism minister Stan Cho, who claimed $16,203 for Toronto hotel rooms despite residing only a few kilometres from Queen’s Park. Critics are demanding clarity on who authorized these claims, why expense rules were altered, and whether government officials instructed members to use the benefit. Premier Ford has faced pressure to explain the use of public funds for both the Florida conference and the disputed hotel expenditures.