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It would seem that Disney has won a small victory in court over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), as a new court date will have all three squaring off this summer.
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Disney Wins Motion to Push Back Court Date After DeSantis CFTOD Argument Reveals Truth About Documents
Amid ongoing legal disputes involving Disney, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, a new court date has been scheduled for a Motion for Summary Judgment from the Oversight District. The Disney DeSantis legal battle has been going on for quite some time, especially after Walt Disney World Resort took a political stance on DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay Bill” in 2022 under former Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Then, things took a turn when Florida Gov Ron DeSantis took over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. The Walt Disney Company and current Disney CEO Bob Iger are taking a stance on these matters, ensuring they do not go down without a fight against Governor DeSantis.
‘This marks the third attempt by the District to have its Motion heard, following previously scheduled dates in December 2023 and March 2024. The upcoming hearing is now slated for July 25, 2024. Disney has successfully obtained continuances for Summary Judgment hearings, citing delays in the Discovery process initiated by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
In late January, Disney filed a Motion for Continuance, seeking to postpone the March 12th hearing by six months. No documents on the Orange County Clerk’s website indicate whether Disney’s continuance request was granted.
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It appears that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District independently rescheduled the hearing. The ongoing court case involves a state-level lawsuit brought by the District against Disney, challenging contracts that the District claims are invalid but Disney contends are legitimate.
Governor Ron DeSantis recently criticized the District for disregarding active agreements. Disney, in turn, has filed countersuits, alleging various violations of the Florida Constitution and other grievances. The forthcoming hearing will address most of the allegations outlined in Disney’s countersuit.
In December, Walt Disney World initiated a new legal action against the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), alleging non-compliance with Florida’s public records law. Disney asserts that the CFTOD failed to furnish requested public records promptly. Specifically, Disney’s lawsuit cites three counts: unjustified delay and failure to produce, retain, and retrieve documents.
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According to The House of Mouse, these lapses in adherence to Florida’s public records law have resulted in a significant delay in obtaining a document requested by Disney seven months prior, in May 2023.
The delay in the court date comes just a few weeks after DeSantis took a victory lap during a press conference where he and State officials applauded the work the CFTOD has done for WDW and Florida since DeSantis took over. The press conference also saw alleged remarks by Florida officials stating that Disney had been ignoring theme park and monorail system inspections for years, putting thousands of people in danger.
Most recently, DeSantis stepped away from his battle with Disney to take on Bud Light and Spring break crowds and potentially ban certain Floridians from using social media applications, including at WDW.
This post Disney Prevails Over DeSantis: New Court Date Set for Governing District Dispute appeared first on Inside the Magic.
