DeSantis-appointed board to sue Disney: ‘We’ll seek justice’

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (FLV) – The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board unanimously voted to sue the Walt Disney World after the previous Reedy Creek board gave the company enormous power through developmental agreements.

Florida lawmakers created the governor-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to oversee the district encompassing Disney.

Just before the new law was signed in February to create the new board and strip Disney of its self-governing powers, the previous board zipped through 11th hour contracts that restricted the new board’s powers recently provided by Florida lawmakers.

Upon learning about the contracts, the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted to nullify those Disney agreements.

Disney filed a lawsuit April 26, alleging that the governor-appointed board is engaging in a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.” The company claimed it threatens “Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.”

However, Chair Martin Garcia said the board had “no choice” but to respond and sue Disney in state court.

“Our role is simply to follow the laws enacted by the Florida Legislature,” Garcia said Monday. “This is what this board has done, and will continue to do to move the district forward.”