Disney is involved in a variety of lawsuits right now — on everything from Park Passes to the Reedy Creek Improvement District — but we’ve got a big update on one important one.
Reedy Creek Improvement District
A lawsuit was previously filed by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (the new name for the Reedy Creek Improvement District) against Disney in state court in Florida. This lawsuit claims that certain agreements Disney entered into with the old Board (which the new Board claims stripped them of their power) are null and void. The Board is suing to ask the Court to declare the old agreements invalid. Disney previously filed a motion to dismiss this lawsuit (essentially get it thrown out of court) for a variety of reasons and now we’ve got an update as to what will happen next.
According to Reuters, the judge in the state court case has DENIED Disney’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Basically, that means Disney did not succeed in getting the Judge to throw out the case, and, instead, the case will be allowed to move forward.
Reedy Creek Building
WESH 2 News shares that now, Disney will have 20 days to file an answer to the Complaint in that lawsuit, and things will move forward from there.
©Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
Keep in mind that this is just ONE lawsuit Disney is involved in when it comes to the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This lawsuit was filed by the District against Disney and it seeks to have those agreements Disney entered into with the old Board declared invalid.
(Note that the District itself has already declared those agreements invalid and a law has been passed in Florida that also voids some of Disney’s agreements with the old Board.)
©Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
But, there is another lawsuit also pending in Florida involving Disney and the District. This other lawsuit was filed by Disney against the new Board of the District and Governor Ron DeSantis in Federal Court. In that lawsuit, Disney has alleged that the Governor has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against Disney.
The lawsuit claims that Disney’s constitutional rights have been violated and that the Governor and the District have done things as a form of retaliation against Disney for speaking out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill. DeSantis has argued that Disney cannot sue him for a variety of reasons, and that case continues to be pending before the Federal court.
Disney vs. DeSantis
According to Reuters, the District has indicated that if the judge in the state case ultimately declares Disney’s agreements with the old Board to be invalid, it would “nearly wipe out Disney’s federal case against DeSantis.”
Disney thinks differently, however. A Disney spokesperson said that this latest decision from the state court judge to deny Disney’s motion to dismiss the District’s case “has no bearing” on Disney’s federal lawsuit. The spokesperson shared, “We are fully confident Disney will prevail in both the federal and state cases.”
©Governor Ron DeSantis Website
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more details and let you know what we find. Stay tuned for all the latest.
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She was appointed by a Republican governor, so this isn’t a surprise.
Old Reedy, got greedy and as a lame duck council (as compared to Donald) passed things that many considered an overreach. They even put in “clever” caveats so things in the future could not be changed by the new council in most of our lifetimes. The last Democrat elected governor of Florida passed away in office in 1998….25 years ago, so finding a judge not appointed during Republican governor term is a long shot.
It’s not a ruling AGAINST Disney. It simply means that Disney will have to prove its case in a court of law instead of having it dismissed prior to ever having to go through proceedings.
I personally have mixed feelings about the whole Reedy Creek thing in the first place. I do think that Disney, as a corporation, has had FAR too many rights that no other corporation has ever been allowed to have, nor should it have. If it were any other company doing what Disney has done for a century, people would be up in arms, and rightfully so. (I say this as a Disney fan. Always have been.) That being said, the way that this whole thing has gone down from the very beginning is ENTIRELY inappropriate. As a Republican governor, DeSantis has done far more for the environment and for immigrants in general than ANY Democrat, state or federal level. But since his decision to run for president, he’s been grandstanding and absolutely making an utter fool of himself – the Reedy Creek fiasco being a part of that.
We all know Disney tried to pull a fast one. So it’s no surprise things are catching up for them. I do love Disney World but no company should be able to have the power they once had. Run the park stay out of politics.
Guess my post got deleted cuz it wasn’t left enough. I’m a Democrat, but guess I haven’t swallowed enough of their Kool Aid. Thanks AJ your starting to get just like Facebook, and dumping posts that aren’t 100% in agreement with Disney.
Mickey will prevail. Ron will be political history by Christmas 2024.
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Just because the Motion to Dismiss was Denied, does not mean Disney lost. I work for a law firm. Defendants almost always make a motion to dismiss. Many times the motions are denied. Then you just go to Court and prove your case like you wanted to do in the first place.