Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' handpicked special district board that oversees The Walt Disney Co.’s Florida theme park properties reached a settlement agreement Wednesday in a court battle over control of the Disney World's future development.
In a meeting, board members of Florida’s Central Tourism Oversight District approved the settlement agreement, ending nearly two years of litigation sparked by Disney’s public opposition to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
In the months following Disney’s opposition to the bill, DeSantis orchestrated a takeover of the governing district with the help of Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, appointing a new board of supervisors and ending Disney’s long-held ability to govern itself like a sovereign territory.
The Governor's lawsuit claimed that Disney conducted a “series of eleventh-hour deals,” in order to green light nearly a decade of developments in the time before the DeSantis-backed board would assume control, stripping it of its regulatory power in the process.
Disney asserted that those deals were perfectly fair and legal, while the board said they were done covertly and illegally.
“We are pleased to put an end to all litigation pending in state court in Florida between Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District,” said Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, in a statement. “This agreement opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district and serves the interests of all parties by enabling significant continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunity in the State.”
DeSantis said at a news conference on Wednesday that “we have been vindicated on all fronts,” according to AP News. “I’m glad that they were able to do that settlement. Those 11th hour covenants and restrictions were never going to be valid. We knew that.”
As part of the settlement, Disney has agreed to pause its appeal in a separate lawsuit it filed against DeSantis last year, alleging he used his position to retaliate against it for opposing the controversial 2022 bill.
This deal in the long battle between Disney and DeSantis comes amidst a critical shareholder dispute between Trian Fund Management’s Nelson Peltz, as he attempts to infiltrate Disney’s board.
