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After 2-Year Legal Battle, Disney And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Resolve Disney World Dispute; Here's All You Need To Know
The recent settlement marks the end of a contentious chapter, allowing both Disney and the Florida Governor to move forward and focus on promoting economic growth and tourism in the US state.
Disney and the allies of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have reached a settlement agreement over how Walt Disney World is to be governed in the future. The settlement comes after a judge ruled in January that it was legal for the Florida state to make changes to the amusement park’s district government.
Disney and DeSantis have been engaged in a dispute over the issue for nearly two years until the recent Wednesday settlement, sanctioned by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.
Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, in a post-settlement statement, said, “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,” per AP.
Amid the entertainment giant and the governor of the state waving the white flag, here's a look back at how things unfolded between the two parties in the past two years.
Disney v. DeSantis — A Breakdown of the two-year long Legal Battle
The two sides began feuding after Disney, under pressure from its staff, criticized the Parental Rights in Education Act, which bans discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for students in Florida.
The act was also notoriously dubbed as Don't Say Gay bill by critics.
In retaliation to Disney’s criticism, Mr. DeSantis, who proposed the law, passed legislation that stripped Disney of its self-governing authority, a right the company had held for more than 50 years.
The move favored DeSantis on a greater scale, giving him the right to appoint members of the board that overlooked the park’s 25,000-acre property. However, before the changes could be implemented, Disney supporters on the board signed agreements with the company, shifting control of some aspects of Disney World to the company. Naturally, the district did not like the artful move and sued Disney over it. Disney countersued in response.
Under Wednesday’s agreement, litigation counsel Paul Huck said that the company recognized that the signing over of control to Disney before the board changed hands was “null and void”.
Regarding the March 27 settlement, a DeSantis spokesperson, per The Hollywood Reporter, said, “No corporation should be its own government. Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Disney and the district to help promote economic growth, family-friendly tourism, and accountable government in Central Florida.”
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