Disney and DeSantis Allies Settle Lawsuit Over FL Governing District

A tourism board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to a settlement with Disney in a lawsuit over the special taxing district that contains Disney World. 

The Details: The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s board unanimously approved the agreement, and Disney said the deal ended all pending litigation in state court; as part of the deal, Disney paused an appeal of a January ruling that threw out its lawsuit alleging DeSantis had violated the company’s First Amendment rights. The deal also nullifies actions taken by the Disney-run district shortly before DeSantis’ appointees took over, including billions in planned development. 

Key Quotes: Charbel Barakat, vice chair of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s Board of Supervisors, said, “With this settlement, which is complete and significant, we are eager to work with Disney.” Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said the deal “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.” 

How the Media Covered It: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) stood out by calling Disney’s “capitulation” a “stunning turn.” While the Times only noted the Parental Rights in Education bill that sparked the DeSantis-Disney feud as “a Florida education law that opponents called anti-gay,” Fox Business (Lean Right bias) stood out by using “so-called” to frame critics’ name for the bill, the “don’t say gay” bill.