Disney hopes Florida judge will dismiss lawsuit over improvement district control

ORLANDO, Fla. — The legal fight between Disney and the state of Florida will play out Friday in an Orange County courtroom.

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It’s a battle over who will control the future of Disney’s improvement district.

The hearing could reshape the future of development around Disney World.

The issue centers on the district that replaced Reedy Creek.

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It’s a complex case with far-reaching implications for the future of Disney and the state of Florida.

The feud between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis has been going on for months, ever since former Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that the company would oppose Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law.

Desantis struck back by signing a law that dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which for decades had granted Disney self-governing authority over its property in Florida.

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Now, the new district created by DeSantis, called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, is suing Disney, because it believes the development agreements between Disney and the former Reedy Creek board are invalid.

They also believe that these agreements are unfair to taxpayers because they allow Disney to avoid paying property taxes.

Disney is asking a judge Friday to dismiss the lawsuit because they believe the law that dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement District also eliminates the development agreements at the heart of the case.

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Disney is hoping the judge dismisses the case altogether or at the least puts a hold on that case.

Channel 9 will have a crew in the courtroom and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.

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