An agreement has been reached between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney concerning the jurisdiction of development within the state.
Governor DeSantis responded to Disney’s opposition to his parental rights in education bill by introducing legislation that replaced the district responsible for overseeing Disney projects.
DeSantis Said, “Everything we’ve done has been in the best interests of the state of Florida, and we have been vindicated on all those actions.”
The legal conflict commenced in 2022 when Governor DeSantis approved the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The legislation placed limitations on conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity with young students in schools, requiring parental participation in such discussions.
“Going forward, we’re going to continue to govern with the best interests of the state of Florida,” he said. Disney attempted to expedite the approval process for development projects, but a court ultimately ruled in favor of Governor DeSantis, granting the state the power to oversee these initiatives.
Former CEO Bob Chapek’s opposition to the law sparked a series of events that led to Governor DeSantis collaborating with Republican legislators to pass measures that stripped Disney of its autonomous governance in the district.
The focal point of the conflict was the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, a 40-square-mile zone that encompasses the famous Walt Disney World resort.
The disagreement arose from Governor DeSantis and Republican lawmakers revoking Disney’s autonomy in governing itself, leading to a legal battle that has now been settled through an agreement.
The legal dispute involved a last-minute deal that Disney struck with its former board before Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature dissolved it. This agreement aimed to maintain decision-making authority over development in the theme parks but was rendered invalid by the settlement.
The agreement allows Disney to continue its investments in the region while enabling Governor DeSantis to move past the contentious battle that has unfolded over the past year.
DeSantis said, “I’m glad that they were able to do that settlement, those eleventh-hour covenants and restrictions were never gonna 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 communications director Bryan Griffin stated, “No corporation should be its own government,”
DeSantis said, “We have an interest as a state in moving forward to make this region very strong, this oversight, tourism oversight board in that district is a big part of that, and I think that there’s gonna be ways where we can do things that are in the best interests of the state of Florida and I think Disney can be a part of that.”
The agreement paves the way for future projects based on the 2020 plans and under state supervision, with Governor DeSantis emphasizing the protection of the state’s interests and the potential for a fruitful partnership.
The agreement between the board appointed by Governor DeSantis and Disney signifies a significant shift towards more cooperative and constructive interactions.
He went on to say, “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, every action that we’ve taken has been upheld in full, and the state’s better off for that.”
With this resolution in place, it is anticipated that the district and Disney will collaborate to revise the district’s 2020 comprehensive plan, fostering ongoing investment and economic opportunities in the state.
Carl W. Tobias, a law professor at University of Richmond School said, “The question now is whether Disney and the board can reach agreements that are effective and workable on many issues going forward, and the devil will be in the details that are not yet clear.”
Paul James Gauthier
May 28, 2024 at 3:02 pm
The current hierarchy at Disney has one thing in mind. MONEY, MONEY MONEY. Most families have to save for quite a few years to bring their families here. Just to buy one ticket to one park will cost you well over a hundred dollars. So, for an average family of five, the cost for one park for one day is around $550.00 dollars. If you want to spend four days in the parks, your total soars to $2200.00. And then to add insult to injury, they will let you jump in front of the average family, who is there to enjoy a vacation of a lifetime, by giving you that ability to “jump” the line by purchasing their new “Genie” pass at a cost of $25 per person, which rings your one-day total to $65.00 per person, or a four-day total of $200.00 dollars for the family of five. They began this nonsense with bringing in the now defunct “fast pass.” When they saw the popularity of the “fast pass,” they immediately began to look for a way to turn that idea into a moneymaker. And they did with this money making “Genie” pass. Both of these deals spelled trouble for anyone, except those who had deep pockets, and had money to burn. Walt’s dream was always to make people happy at a reasonable price. Right now, his “dream” is being trampled on by the super-rich higherups whose only goal is to fill their scheming wallets. Walt and Roy are certainly turning in their graves today at the way they are destroying the GOOD Disney name.