Desantis, Disney end lengthy feud
The Florida governor’s feud with Disney appears to be ending with a settlement agreement Wednesday in a court fight over how Walt Disney World is developed in the future.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board voted unanimously in favour of the agreement, dropping most of the legal wrangling between Disney and the Republican governor, Ron Desantis. Disney said the agreement puts an end to all pending litigation in state court.
“This agreement opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district and serves the interests of all parties by enabling significant continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunity in the State,” said Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort.
The settlement is the latest development in a lengthy legal dispute between Disney and Desantis.
The feud erupted in 2022 when Disney’s then-top executive Bob Chapek opposed the state’s Parental Rights in Education bill. The legislation prohibits instruction on matters related to gender identity and sexual orientation in public classrooms.
Desantis fired back by pushing for legislation dismantling the Reedy Creek tax district, which for decades has managed the site that encompass Walt Disney World in Florida. Opponents of the governor saw it as a retaliatory power grab.
Disney filed a lawsuit alleging Desantis was punishing the company for exercising its right to free speech, threatening its business operations, jeopardizing its economic future in the region and violating its constitutional rights. In January, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.
The Disney World oversight board installed by Desantis accused its predecessor of using an 11th-hour agreement to sharply curtail the new board’s powers and bolster the company’s control over the Florida-based amusement park.
The new board criticized those actions, which granted the company broad veto powers over any improvements or changes to properties at its theme park and included a “royal lives” clause that made it valid in perpetuity.
The board sued in state court, and Wednesday’s settlement declares that actions taken by the former Reedy Creek special taxing district days before it was taken over by Desantis appointees would be “null and void.” That included a long-lasting development deal that would have limited what the new board could do.
As part of the agreement, Disney also dropped efforts to seek public records from the Desantis board.
The feud has led Disney to be more selective regarding its investments in Florida, as Disney chief executive Bob Iger hinted that corporate investments in the state could be in jeopardy.
Disney cancelled a planned development in Orange County in May and pulled the plug on a “Star Wars”-themed Orlando hotel.