Disney issues statement in response to court case dismissal against Ron DeSantis and CFTOD and vows to 'press forward'

Jan 31, 2024 in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

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Posted: Wednesday January 31, 2024 3:05om ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Following today's significant legal development in which a U.S. District Court in Florida dismissed a lawsuit filed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials, Disney says that it is "determined to press forward with our case."

In a statement released following the court case's dismissal, a Disney spokesperson told WDWMAGIC:

This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here. If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case.

Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Chairman Martin Garcia released the following statement:

I'm delighted that this lawsuit, which was nothing more than a distraction, is now behind us. Our board and the district will now continue to make the appropriate changes to operate and function as an independent government agency to promote transparency and accountability while bringing more prosperity to more people in Florida.

Team Disney Orlando

Earlier this afternoon, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida dismissed the lawsuit filed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other officials. The lawsuit challenged legislative changes that stripped Disney of its control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, now the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), alleging that these changes were retaliatory and violated Disney's First Amendment rights. The court ruled that Disney lacked standing to sue the Governor and the Secretary of Florida’s Department of Commerce and dismissed Disney's claims against the CFTOD board members on the merits, stating that a facially constitutional statute cannot be challenged based on alleged unconstitutional motives of lawmakers.

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castlecake2.07 days ago

Yes

Stripes7 days ago

Has Disney/CFTOD continued to replace the purple direction signage with the new blue color scheme since CFTOD took over?

mkt7 days ago

You're right. The new document will be different. It will be "different" in the way that Chris Gaines was "different" from Garth Brooks or how the drummer from Nirvana is "different" from the singer of the Foo Fighters.

Unbanshee7 days ago

Both are effectively picked by the Governor, just not technically. Look no further than the communications "strategy" with the replacement of Gilzean of the Governor's office getting out ahead of every single step of the process

lazyboy97o7 days ago

The settlement acknowledged the “need” to change the comprehensive plan, which undermines this idea. So too does the lack of an agreement, as the 2032 Comprehensive Plan wasn’t that different than the again in force 2020 Comprehensive Plan.

Brian7 days ago

That's understandable for sure. I just felt inclined to make the distinction due to the ongoing conversation, as the district administrator is selected by the board, while the board is selected by the governor.

mkt7 days ago

The new agreement will be functionally the same as the one Disney was sued over.

pdude817 days ago

You're right. This has been going on so long I just lumped all the antagonists together.

Brian7 days ago

Not to nitpick, but Gilzean was district administrator, not a board member.

pdude817 days ago

A bigger risk than keeping Garcia and Gilzean on the board as active disruptors? I don't agree with their decision to stall the federal lawsuit, but I understand why they saw the status quo as a risk to growth over the next few years.

lazyboy97o8 days ago

You don’t think dropping your bargaining power in the middle is the best strategy in a negotiation?

flynnibus8 days ago

Again… we know nothing except both sides have shown signs of positive attitude and certainty of successful outcomes. What does that mean? None if us know. All we can speculate is… they know a lot more than they have said publicly… and obvious things like "desantis is not perpetual…" were clearly obvious to them when they made these choices.

UNCgolf8 days ago

That seems wildly optimistic.

flynnibus8 days ago

“Right now…” Yes, we all know this. But again, we don’t know what back room deal they have setup. Who knows… it could even include new legislation promises… Or Disney is just rolling with the hand they are dealt… maybe they have accepted that the time to sunset their advantages of rcid is here… none of us can tell what their true intentions are right now.