NEWS: Disney Countersues DeSantis-Appointed Reedy Creek Board

The Disney-DeSantis battle is far from over — and we’ve got an update on the latest moves in the state case brought by DeSantis’ Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) Board.

The new Board made a number of changes after taking over, and there are two pending lawsuits involving Disney, the Board, and DeSantis — in both state court and federal court. Now, Disney has filed a response in the state case — and countersued the CFTOD. Here’s what we know.

Disney has filed a required response in the state-level case brought forth by the CFTOD Board. In the original suit, the Board alleges that Disney had a “fiefdom” under the old Reedy Creek setup where it “wrote the laws that governed itself, chose whether and how to enforce those laws against itself, and set its own tax rate.” They claim that “No other Florida business, large or small, enjoyed those benefits.”

In the response filed by Disney, they deny many of the CFTOD Board’s claims and take things a step further by countersuing the Board for Breach of Contract, along with violations of the Florida Constitution. These claims are reminiscent of the federal suit Disney brought against DeSantis and the Board, but it’s important to note that this newly filed response is in regard to the state-level case.

Disney is also claiming that the CFTOD is the same entity as the former Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), referring to the fact that DeSantis did not dissolve the District as he had previously said he would, but instead renamed it and appointed his own Board of Supervisors.

You might remember that DeSantis’ newly appointed Board had declared some of Disney and the prior RCID Board’s agreements invalid. Disney is now alleging that because the CFTOD and RCID Boards are legally the same entity (according to Disney’s claims), the CFTOD Board is unable to argue that it did not have the ability to enter into a contract with Disney in the first place.

Then, Disney continues its countersuit claims including Breach of Contract and violations of the Florida Constitution. Disney has also requested a judge to declare the District’s Legislative Findings and Senate Bill 1604 unconstitutional or issue an order urging the District from enforcing them.

In the federal case Disney filed against DeSantis and the CFTOD Board, they also claim Breach of Contract and US Constitution violations.