Credit: Inside The MagicWalt Disney World is now under a heavy investigation as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his board appointees are attempting one last stand to seek their way out of the lawsuits.
DeSantis, His Board, and Disney World
A lot happens between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his board, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), and Walt Disney World. DeSantis went after WDW after the company made a political stance on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed by the state. Because of the governor going after Disney and publically speaking ill of the company, Disney sent out a lawsuit in April.
But DeSantis was not going to let that stand. He ended up taking over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, the governing district for Disney World, and turned it into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and personally went after WDW in their lawsuit, attempting to make all contracts between Disney and other outside sources null and void.
There are several lawsuits between Disney, DeSantis, and the CFTOD, which is why there is political and legal warfare between the three. There have been recent developments that have surfaced.
Yesterday morning, it was confirmed that a U.S. District Judge has set a date to consider the arguments by attorneys for DeSantis and the CFTOD to dismiss the lawsuits currently open with WDW. The motion to dismiss was first attempted in September, with the official hearing date now scheduled for December 12.
In other news, the firefighters for Disney have yet to receive the stipend promised to them after DeSantis and his board stripped away the annual passes earlier this year. The stipend is around $3,000, with most union members debating that number and wanting to raise it to $5,000.
The House of Mouse has silenced the Florida Governor after a new study from Oxford Economics has shown that WDW generated $40.3 billion in economic impact in 2022 across Florida. The Walt Disney Company added over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs last year.
But now, DeSantis and his board members are attempting to dismantle any argument against them from Disney as a heavy investigation is underway for Disney World.
In a new report from the Associated Press, members appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (DeSantis appointees) to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District are currently in the process of requesting communication records between Disney and local media, in addition to documents outlining Disney’s position on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
This request forms part of an ongoing legal dispute in state court concerning the district’s governance overseeing Walt Disney World. Having recently come under Governor DeSantis’ control, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District previously initiated legal action against Disney over governance matters, vying for control of the private government responsible for overseeing design, construction, and providing municipal services at the theme park resort.
The district’s inquiry encompasses all Disney communications related to Governor DeSantis, as well as communications addressing laws passed by the Republican-led Florida Legislature, which altered control of the district from Disney supporters to the governor’s appointees and annulled agreements made by the company with the Disney-controlled district before the state takeover.
With less than three weeks to go until the motion to dismiss court hearing begins, it will be interesting to see how this investigation turns out for WDW, DeSantis, and his board.
Follow Inside The Magic for all the latest news on these developments.