Earlier today, Disney filed a notice that they have appealed a ruling from a federal judge that dismissed a lawsuit brought by Disney against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and others.
Now, Martin Garcia, the Chairman of the CFTOD Board of Supervisors, has issued a statement in response:
Disney just can’t win for losing in this lawsuit. First, they voluntarily dismissed almost all their causes of action against the district. Now, they are trying to revive the remaining causes of action that the Judge dismissed based upon well-established federal law. These shameful litigation tactics are costing the district unnecessary legal expenses. All the while, our board, on behalf of the district, continues to adopt new transparency and accountability governance policies, invest in new infrastructure, reduce procurement costs, reduce the district tax rate and award district contracts to small businesses that were never on the Disney preferred vendor list.
The comment comes as the District is also suing Disney in state court over Development Agreements that it says are invalid and void. Within the state-level lawsuit, Disney has countersued the District, alleging violations of the Florida Constitution. Furthermore, Disney has an outstanding request to the court on a Motion to Compel Discovery, alleging that the District is not turning over required documents. Disney took it a step further by starting a separate lawsuit against the District, alleging Public Records Act violations. Disney has also requested a 6-month delay on a hearing, saying that they cannot substantively move forward with defending themselves without the Discovery.
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!
