DeSantis Speaks Out on Disney Settlement, Lawsuits: “Not One of Them Has Succeeded”

Governor Ron DeSantis has a lot to say about the abrupt legal settlement between his Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) board of supervisors and the Walt Disney Company, but mainly, he knew he was going to win.

Of course, it can (and will) be debated whether the settlement between the CFTOD board and Walt Disney World is a victory for either side or more of “agree to drop things.” But never let it be said that Governor DeSantis would give up an opportunity to announce a win, which he just did at a press conference in Orlando.

Related: Ron DeSantis Bans Disney Cast Members From Florida

The settlement between the CFTOD and Disney World outlined, among other things:

• Disney stipulates that the Development Agreement and Restrictive Covenants are null and void
• Disney does not contest the District assessment that the 2032 Comprehensive Plan is null and void
• District and Disney will dismiss the claims and counterclaims, as well as the Public Records case
• The District and Disney will not contest the actions of the Reedy Creek Improvement District prior to DeSantis’ takeover
• Disney will seek permission to defer briefing in the federal appeals lawsuit against Ron DeSantis, pending negotiations and other new developments with the District

The full settlement can be read here:

The majority of the DeSantis-Disney settlement is comprised of both parties dropping claims against each other, the legal equivalent of “let bygones be bygones.” However, the governor is taking the tactic of describing them as doomed to failure.

At the press conference, DeSantis described himself and his board as “vindicated on all those actions,” referring to the dissolution of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, as well as “all the Disney issues, parents’ rights, and education.” It is hard to take that last part as anything but a reference to the Parental Rights in Education Act, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that became a major part of the former presidential candidate’s public image in 2023.

It is perhaps worth noting that, although the Parental Rights in Education Act was severely gutted in a legal settlement (per BBC) just a few weeks ago, DeSantis’ representative also claimed a victory there, saying, “We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors.” Basically, “we wanted this to happen.”

The governor continued his remarks about the settlement, referencing both the contracts made before the dissolution of Reedy Creek and the DeSantis v. Disney lawsuit. He said, “Those 11th-hour covenants and restrictions were never going to be valid – we knew that. The challenge to the state oversight board to replace Reedy Creek – that’s not going anywhere. Obviously, that was dismissed in district court.”

The suit was indeed dismissed by U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor and was immediately brought by Disney to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. This new settlement has taken care of that issue, but it’s not exactly fair to say it was never “going anywhere” since it went straight to appeal.

DeSantis continued, “A year ago, people were trying to act like all these legal maneuverings were all going to succeed against the state of Florida, and the reality is here we are a year later, and not one of them has succeeded.” It is interesting that the politician considers lawsuits against himself and the board of supervisors that he selected (and has had to re-select fairly continuously) to be against the state of Florida itself. It’s also notable that very recently, the governor asked the state to earmark millions of dollars of taxpayer funds to fight lawsuits against himself specifically.

Finally, DeSantis came down to the real issue: all of this was the fault of Disney’s corporate headquarters in California, a state whose own governor he debated not that long ago for no clear reason.

Related: Confirmed: Social Media Officially Illegal at Disney World in 2024 Amid DeSantis’ Reign

The Florida governor pushed the blame for the year of legal issues in his state on Burbank, the corporate headquarters of the Walt Disney Company, saying, “You know, a lot of what happened with parents’ rights in education, some of that stuff was really driven by Burbank, it was not driven by Orlando. And I think we’ve always understood that.”

In essence, Ron DeSantis says he always knew he and the CFTOD would win, and really, the issue was always outsiders rather than any bizarre threats he may have made to Disney. Sounds right.

What do you think of Ron DeSantis’ comments? Let us know in the comments below!