Earlier this week, Disney filed nearly a dozen intent-to-serve subpoena notices in its fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The notice of intent to serve subpoenas was filed in Orange County court on Wednesday as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisor meeting was taking place. This is for the state-level case where Disney is countersuing. In total, ten notices were filed, all saying that The Walt Disney Company will serve subpoenas in a request to produce documents relevant to the ongoing legal battle with DeSantis and the CFTOD Board of Supervisors regarding the Governor’s takeover of a special taxing district created for the formation and ongoing operations of Walt Disney World.
Before we jump into the subpoenas, here are some definitions:
- Comprehensive Plan means the joint comprehensive plan adopted by the District, the City of Bay Lake, and the City of Lake Buena Vista in 2022
- Development Agreement refers to the agreement approved by the District’s Board of Supervisors and entered into between Disney and the District on February 8, 2023
- House Bill 9B means the bill passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on February 27, 2023
- Restrictive Covenants refers to the declaration of restrictive covenants between the District and WDPR approved and adopted by the District on February 8, 2023
- Senate Bill 1604 or SB 1604 means the bill passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 5, 2023
- Senate Bill 4C means the bill passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 22, 2023
- Land Development Regulation Amendments refers to amendments to the land development regulations adopted by the District, the City of Bay Lake, and the City of Lake Buena Vista following public hearings in December 2022, January 2023, and February 2023
Starting with Governor DeSantis, Disney is seeking all documents related to internal and external communications about the Comprehensive Plan, the Development Agreement, the Restrictive Covenants, the Land Development Regulation Amendments, Senate Bill 1604, and any development agreement adopted by an independent special district pursuant to Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes. Disney made the same request of the Governor’s office, which is defined as all others acting on DeSantis’ behalf, including any affiliates, employees, directors, agents, contractors, representatives, board members, committees, subcommittees, working groups, and task forces.
Disney is also requesting documents from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity related to a determination on July 15, 2022, that “the adopted amendment meets the requirements of Chapter 163, Part II F.S. for compliance”. Additional documents requested include communications relating to or referencing Disney from January 1, 2018 until the present.
In addition to the Governor and a government office, Disney is seeking documents from the City of Bay Lake and the City of Lake Buena Vista. Both of those cities lie within the boundaries of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and cover Walt Disney World. Documents requested from the cities include those related to the Development Agreement, the Restrictive Covenants, the Comprehensive Plan, the Land Development Regulation Agreements and amendments.
Furthermore, Disney is reaching out to other Florida special taxing districts including the Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District, the Daytona Beach Racing & Recreational Facilities District, Babcock Ranch Community Independent Special District, the Water Street Tampa Improvement District, and the Seminole Improvement District. These subpoenas seemed to be interested in two aspects. First, Disney is requesting any documents related to how these districts define “affected property owners”. Secondly, and quite interesting in my opinion, is any communications related to mailing or not mailing notice of intent for a Development Agreement. These other special taxing districts are similar in nature to the intention of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, with the most obvious difference being the scope of what happens within the RCID being much larger than these other special taxing districts. It is likely that Disney is interested in showing how they are being uniquely targeted by DeSantis and the might of his governmental powers in retaliation for Disney’s stance on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Each of the parties must respond this week or be served the subpoenas via the court system.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
