The Walt Disney Company and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida have reached an agreement to regulate the special taxing district that features Disney World in Orlando, the corporate announced Wednesday.
“We are pleased to bring an end to all litigation pending in Florida state court,” Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World, said in an announcement. He added that the agreement “opens a new chapter of constructive engagement” and will allow the corporate to proceed investing within the resort.
Disney and Mr. DeSantis have been fighting for 2 years over Disney World, a 25,000-acre theme park and resort complex south of Orlando that’s one in all the state’s largest employers.
In response to Disney’s criticism of Florida’s education law, which opponents called “No Say Gay,” Mr. DeSantis took over the taxing district, appointing a brand new board and ending the corporate’s long-held ability to self-govern Disney World as if it were a county.
But before the acquisition went into effect, Disney signed – quietly but in publicly announced meetings – contracts providing for development plans price about $17 billion over the subsequent decade. Efforts by Mr. DeSantis and his allies to void the contracts led to Disney suing Mr. DeSantis and the tax district in federal court. The recent appointees then sued the corporate in state court.
The Central Florida Tourism Supervisory District was held meeting on Wednesday, during which the board discussed the settlement proposed by Disney.
A federal judge dismissed Disney’s lawsuit filed in January against Mr. DeSantis, and the corporate immediately promised to appeal. As a part of the settlement reached Wednesday, Disney agreed to halt those efforts, but not stop them altogether.
This month, the state of Florida and a gaggle of fogeys and teachers difficult the education law reached an agreement that clarified its reach. This settlement clarified that the law applied only to formal classroom instruction.
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