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Image Credit: Inside The MagicFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis seeks to keep his single lawsuit win by attempting to bargain with Walt Disney World Resort to avoid having his Central Florida Tourism Oversight District pay too much money or spend too much time with the current pending lawsuits between the House of Mouse.
DeSantis Disney District to Meet for Possible Settlement Deals Against Walt Disney World
Per a public announcement, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, February 28, for a closed-door session to deliberate on the ongoing legal disputes involving Disney and the District. The notice specifies that the closed session will entail discussions with the Board’s legal representatives regarding “strategic planning and negotiations for settlement about legal expenditures” across three active lawsuits.
These lawsuits encompass a federal case presently under appeal in the Eleventh Circuit concerning allegations of First Amendment retaliation by Governor DeSantis, with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District listed as a defendant; a state-level litigation initiated by the District against Disney, alleging improprieties in contracts between Disney and the former Reedy Creek Board of Supervisors; and a state-level lawsuit brought by Disney against the District, citing violations of the Florida Public Records Act.
Expected attendees at the confidential meeting include members of the Board of Supervisors such as Chair Martin Garcia, Vice-Chair Charbel Barakat, Brian Aungst Jr., Ron Peri, and Bridget Ziegler; Glenton Gilzean, the District Administrator; Acting General Counsel Daniel Langley and A. Kurt Ardaman; and legal counsel Paul Huck. The Walt Disney Company, including the Walt Disney Parks in Florida, has been at war with these folks since Reedy Creek became the CFTOD. Florida legislature has reshaped Lake Buena Vista with the help of Gov DeSantis. This special district has been in the minds of Florida lawmakers for quite some time.
Millions Spent in 2023 to Fight the House of Mouse in Orlando
Given the protracted nature of these legal proceedings, the District has earmarked over $5 million for its ongoing legal battles with Disney this year.
A budget proposed by District Administrator Glen Gilzean in August 2023 for the fiscal year 2024 indicated an allocation of $4.5 million exclusively for legal expenses, with an additional sum exceeding $500,000 designated for ancillary fees and services related to the litigation against Disney. This allocation represents a significant increase from the preceding year, doubling the 2023 budget allocation.
The Florida Governor is now back to being a full-time Governor after dropping out of the 2024 Presidential race. Many worried that DeSantis would be hitting hard against Disney, resulting in stricter laws against Disney World and its guests, like more taxes.
Disney is currently attempting to challenge the verdict reached previously where the company lost the First Amendment lawsuit, resulting in Ron DeSantis winning that battle. At the start of this month, Disney sent a correspondence letting the federal court know that they plan on using “legal inaccuracies” and “erroneous analyses” to combat the decision in court again.
DeSantis’s winning streak ended when it was discovered that his governing District at Disney World, the CFTOD, had not been sending in required documents ordered by the court. These legal matters have landed DeSantis and the CFTOD in the hot seat since the revelation.
The above revelation and everything since then has culminated in where we are today: the CFTOD attempting to have a private, secret meeting in the hopes of discussing possible outcomes that would allow them to settle the current and pending lawsuits with Disney to avoid millions in spending and more court filings and proceedings. Hopefully, the Ron DeSantis Disney District will come to a legal settlement with the House of Mouse.