NEW Lawsuits Filed by Disney for Overvaluation of 2024 Property Taxes

A new lawsuit involving Disney has recently been filed; this time, Disney World is doing the suing, not being sued.

The Walt Disney Company is very familiar with legal battles. We have heard about several between the company and various other individuals, companies, and government entities over the past few years. It’s likely the business giant will always be part of court appearances in some way or another, but recently, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has filed new lawsuits in Florida.

On December 13th, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. Inc. filed 13 lawsuits against Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado, according to the Orlando Business Journal. The filings allege that she has significantly increased the value of its Florida properties for the 2024 tax year.

These lawsuits are similar to previous ones filed by Disney in previous years, of which a judge recently ruled in favor of Disney after an eight-year battle between them and the property appraiser’s office. Judge Thomas Turner ruled on September 23, 2024, that “The appraiser substantially increased the amount of Disney’s tax bill by unlawfully including value attributable to Disney’s intangible property.” This past lawsuit was regarding a Yacht & Beach Club property assessment.

However, the property appraiser’s office has appealed the past case, and it has gone to mediation.

The latest 13 filings against Amy Mercado also include Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph and Executive Director Jim Zingale of the Florida Department of Revenue as named defendants. The filings for the 2024 tax year include theme parks, resorts, administrative areas, and more, including Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, Magic Kingdom parking lot, and more.

Altogether, the properties were assessed at just under $3 billion, and Disney was required to pay more than $90 million in taxes in 2024. Disney lays out a request for a resolution similar to the one they received earlier this year by Judge Turner.

Disney isn’t the only Orlando-based entity suing Mercado. Various area hotels have also taken to the courts against her and the property appraiser’s office. In recent years, other hotels such as The Hard Rock Hotel, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, Marriott World Center, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, and more have filed lawsuits for overvaluations for the 2022 and 2023 tax years.

There are several Disney properties included in the 13 lawsuit filings against Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado, alleging that she has provided increased values of each for the tax year 2024. These new lawsuits were filed on December 13th, 2024. We’ll be watching for any updates to these new filings.

In the meantime, keep following AllEars for more Disney news.

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