NEWS: Disney World Suing Over Its "Excessive" Property Taxes

This week, Disney World filed multiple lawsuits contesting its 2023 tax assessments.

Walt Disney World

Disney World has been in the news for several legal battles with the Florida government in recent months.

This week, Disney World Parks and Resorts filed about a dozen lawsuits against the Property Appraiser contesting the 2023 tax assessments for its four theme parks, several hotels, and other properties in Central Florida.

EPCOT

Disney is suing over its local property taxes, calling them “excessive.” The company argued, “The assessments do not represent the just value of the Subject Property as of the lien date because they exceed the market value. … Appraiser has included the value of certain intangible property in the assessments.”

Cinderella Castle

According to court documents, the assessed value of the Magic Kingdom was $513.8 million, EPCOT’s value was $646.2 million, Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ value was $526.4 million, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom sat at $426.2 million.

Hollywood Studios

This is not Disney World’s first time filing a suit over tax bills, as they have regularly sued over them since 2015. However, it is their first time fighting property taxes since the state installed board members to control Disney World’s governing board. The board has previously threatened to get involved with the property tax litigation against Disney.

Magic Kingdom

Last month, Disney released a study that stated the company created a $40 billion impact in the state last year. Adam Sacks, President of Tourism Economics, which did the study said, “Disney is an economic catalyst to the state of Florida generating billions in economic activity, either directly, or indirectly through its supply chain and the spending of employees. Disney is also vital to the funding of public services, as it generated taxes of $6.6 billion in 2022, including state and local taxes of $3.1 billion.”