In an attempt to “win” the battle over The Walt Disney Company, The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board has filed a new motion for judgment in its lawsuit against Walt Disney World. The District hopes to gain a pre-trial win, as reported by Orlando Business Journal.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight DIstrict countersued Disney earlier this summer. In the lawsuit, the District is seeking to affirm that any agreements Disney had created with its original Reedy Creek Improvement District are “null and void.”
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is seeking judgment on five of the nine counts:
Count 1 – Failure to Provide Notice of Public Hearing, which questions whether Disney appropriately provided enough notice of their development agreement to all property owners in the district.
Count 2 – Ultra Vires Act in Violation of Florida Statute 163.3223, which alleges that the Reedy Creek Improvement District acted “beyond the scope of power allowed” when it entered into the development agreement.
Count 3 – District Lacked Authority and Jurisdiction to Enter into Development Agreement, which alleges that RCID lacked the authority and jurisdiction to enter into said agreements without the involvement and notice of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, which are both located in the district.
Count 4 – Violation of Article VII, Section 12 of the Florida Constitution, which alleges that the former district utilizing bonds to fund projects related to the development agreement without permission from the public, if said projects last longer than a year, is against the Florida Constitution.
Count 6 – Unlawful Delegation of Governmental Authority to Private Entity, which alleges that RCID contracted away its discretionary legislative power, which is against Florida law.
This legal battle is the result of a year-long feud between the state of Florida and The Walt Disney Company. Once Disney publicly denounced Florida’s incredibly controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Gov DeSantis made it his priority to threaten Disney with any and all consequences he could think of, which included stripping Disney of its self-governing status in Florida.
Eventually, Gov. DeSantis was successful, with the state of Florida taking control of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. Disney did not go down without a fight, however, with the company filing a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
In the lawsuit, Disney states that Florida violated Disney’s first amendment.
This new motion concludes with a statement that claims Disney’s agreements with its original district are “null and void:’
The undisputed facts show that RCID failed to [do] so in several key respects that render the Agreements void and unenforceable as a matter of law.
This comes just days after Gov. DeSantis pleaded with Disney and CEO Bob Iger to “drop the lawsuit,” claiming that he and his team have already “moved on.”
Only time will tell what happens between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney, but it’s safe to say the two’s relationship may be permanently damaged, at least with Ron DeSantis in office. DeSantis did not just threaten Disney with lawsuits, however, with the outspoken Gov. also threatening to raise taxes on Walt Disney World property. He also teased bringing a new state prison directly outside the Walt Disney World Resort.
DeSantis also claimed that new regulations would be coming to Walt Disney World’s Monorail service, which connects to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom as well as several hotels.
Stay tuned here for all future updates on the ongoing battle between Florida and Disney.
2
