Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney have settled their dispute over development control in the state.
DeSantis pushed legislation in response to Disney opposing his parental rights in education bill, replacing the district overseeing Disney projects.
“Everything we’ve done has been in the best interests of the state of Florida, and we have been vindicated on all those actions,” DeSantis said.
“Going forward, we’re going to continue to govern with the best interests of the state of Florida,” he said.
Disney attempted to rush through development approvals, but a court sided with DeSantis that the state could provide oversight.
The settlement allows future projects using 2020 plans and state oversight, with DeSantis saying the state’s interests were upheld and a productive partnership is possible.
“I’m glad that they were able to do that settlement, those eleventh-hour covenants and restrictions were never gonna be valid, we knew that. The challenge to the state oversight board to replace Reedy Creek, that’s not going anywhere, obviously that was dismissed in district court,” DeSantis said.
“No corporation should be its own government,” Bryan Griffin, the communications director for the governor, stated.
“We have an interest as a state in moving forward to make this region very strong, this oversight, tourism oversight board in that district is a big part of that, and I think that there’s gonna be ways where we can do things that are in the best interests of the state of Florida and I think Disney can be a part of that,” DeSantis said.
“A year ago, people were trying to act like … all these legal maneuverings were all going to succeed against the state of Florida, and the reality is here we are a year later and not one of them has succeeded, every action that we’ve taken has been upheld in full, and the state’s better off for that,” he said.
Disney conceded last-minute deals it made were invalid and the new oversight board now has authority, according to legal experts.
While specifics remain unclear, the settlement ends the high-profile feud and allows both sides to move forward after courts consistently ruled in the state’s favor against Disney’s challenges.
“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,” Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Vahle said.
“The question now is whether Disney and the board can reach agreements that are effective and workable on many issues going forward, and the devil will be in the details that are not yet clear,” University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl W. Tobias said.
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