In the latest chapter in the fight between Disney and the state of Florida, the newly appointed board for a special taxing district that encompasses Walt Disney World sued the Orlando company on Monday to try to recover the control of the expansion of the theme park complex.
The district’s complaint involves a pair of contracts imposed on Disney World by a former Disney-controlled board. The agreements – adopted in public forums – lock in a comprehensive plan for the growth of the 25,000-acre Disney property near Orlando, including the possible construction of a fifth theme park and 14,000 additional hotel rooms.
“These agreements appear to be a back room deal,” the district’s new board said in its 188-page lawsuit filed in state court. “Due to haste or ignorance, the Disney deals violate fundamental principles of Florida’s constitutional, statutory and common law. As a result, they are void – worthless on the paper they’re printed on. “
Disney declined to comment.
The lawsuit, which was expected, is the latest volley in a 14-month dispute between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney World, the state’s largest taxpayer and the nation’s largest single-site employer. Last week, after the new board voted to cancel the development agreements, Disney sued Mr. DeSantis and the new board members, claiming “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.” Disney filed its lawsuit in federal court in Tallahassee.
The conflict began in March 2022, when Disney joined other companies in criticizing a controversial state education law that, among other things, banned classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. for young students. (Opponents call it “Don’t Say Gay.”) Mr. DeSantis and his Republican allies in the Florida Legislature immediately began attacking Disney as a “woke” company and began efforts to curtail its long-held autonomy in the state.
At the center of the fight is a 56-year-old special tax district that includes Disney World. The district effectively turned the property into its own county, giving Disney unusual control over fire protection, policing, waste management, road maintenance, bond issuance — and, crucially, planning real estate development.
In February, lawmakers wrested control of the district’s five-member board from Disney and gave it to the governor. When the appointees of Mr. DeSantis reported for office, however, they were upset to discover that the outgoing board had approved some development agreements, limiting the power of the new board for decades to come.
Disney has repeatedly described the agreements as “appropriate” and has hit out at public meetings advertised by The Orlando Sentinel. Florida attorneys not affiliated with Disney and experts on Florida development contracts say Disney is acting legally.
In its lawsuit Monday, the new board said otherwise, saying the agreements were illegal. The board said the notices in The Sentinel, for example, “did not fully inform the public or other property owners of the purposes or content of the development agreement.”
Significantly, the new board members are trying to regain control of a growth plan that has already been cleared by the DeSantis administration.
But that was before Disney — concerned that a new, politicized board could derail its growth plan — took the extra step of locking down approvals.
