Disney is now countersuing DeSantis’ Oversight Board

The lawsuit saga continues for Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Here is the latest.

Disney v DeSantis

By now you may have heard of the ongoing legal drama between The Walt Disney Company and Ron DeSantis and his newly appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD). The turmoil began when former CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education Law passed in Florida in 2022.

Shortly after this move, Florida’s state Republicans passed a bill to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967 that allowed  Disney to function as its own governing body in the two cities and land within Orange and Osceola counties. After the bill passed, the Reedy Creek Improvement District officially dissolved, giving the state of Florida power over Disney World.

Additionally, DeSantis appointed the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) as its governing board. This action resulted in big operational changes to the Walt Disney World resort. And it also led to two lawsuits.

The two lawsuits

The first of the two lawsuits is a federal case Disney brought against DeSantis. Current CEO Bob Iger maintains that DeSantis is punishing the Walt Disney Company for practicing free speech in its reaction to the Parental Rights in Education Law.

In fact, in April, Daniel M. Petrocelli, a high-powered Los Angeles litigator, filed complaints on Disney’s behalf in federal court against Governor DeSantis. DeSantis, unsurprisingly, motioned for dismissal. Disney has since responded, and you can read about it here.

However, there is also a state-level lawsuit filed by the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) against Disney to nullify agreements between the former Reedy Creek Tourism District and Disney. The agreement essentially transferred power from the Reedy Creek Tourism District to Disney prior to the district being dissolved.

Disney countersues

Disney World is now countersuing the Oversight District. Specifically, they are suing for Breach of Contract and violations against the Florida Constitution.

First, they deny many of the claims the Oversight District made in their lawsuit. In fact, that’s what approximately half of the report does.

Basically, what Disney is getting at is the Reedy Creek Improvement District and The Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board are the same entity because essentially it was just a rename of the same board with a few other minor changes. Therefore, the CFTOD cannot say it didn’t have authority over Disney or ability to enter into a contract.

The second half of the lawsuit is where Disney World sues the CFOTD on nine counts – from breach of contract to violation of the Florida Constitution.

We will keep you posted on what happens next. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and pass this post along to someone who is also keeping up with the lawsuit news.