The contentious dispute between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney over development control in the state has finally been settled. DeSantis, a staunch advocate for parental rights in education, made a bold move by pushing legislation that would replace the district overseeing Disney projects – an action that Disney vehemently opposed.
“Everything we’ve done has been in the best interests of the state of Florida, and we have been vindicated on all those actions,” DeSantis declared.
“Going forward, we’re going to continue to govern with the best interests of the state of Florida,” he affirmed.
In their desperate attempt to bypass due process, Disney tried to rush through development approvals. However, justice prevailed when a court sided with DeSantis ruling that the state could indeed provide oversight.
The settlement now allows future projects to proceed under 2020 plans and state oversight. This is a clear victory for DeSantis who stated that not only were the state’s interests upheld but also opened up possibilities for a productive partnership.
“I’m glad that they were able to do that settlement, those eleventh-hour covenants and restrictions were never gonna be valid, we knew that. The challenge to the state oversight board to replace Reedy Creek, that’s not going anywhere, obviously that was dismissed in district court,” DeSantis said.
“No corporation should be its own government,” Bryan Griffin, the communications director for the governor, rightly pointed out.
“We have an interest as a state in moving forward to make this region very strong, this oversight, tourism oversight board in that district is a big part of that, and I think that there’s gonna be ways where we can do things that are in the best interests of the state of Florida and I think Disney can be a part of that,” DeSantis added.
A year ago, critics predicted failure for the state’s legal actions. However, DeSantis proved them wrong. “A year ago, people were trying to act like … all these legal maneuverings were all going to succeed against the state of Florida, and the reality is here we are a year later and not one of them has succeeded, every action that we’ve taken has been upheld in full, and the state’s better off for that,” he said.
Disney finally admitted defeat by conceding last-minute deals it made were invalid. Legal experts now confirm that the new oversight board holds authority.
The specifics may still remain unclear but one thing is certain – this settlement marks an end to this high-profile feud allowing both sides to move forward after courts consistently ruled in favor of DeSantis against Disney’s challenges.
“This agreement opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district and serves the interests of all parties by enabling significant continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunity in the state,” Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Vahle said.
“The question now is whether Disney and the board can reach agreements that are effective and workable on many issues going forward, and the devil will be in the details that are not yet clear,” University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl W. Tobias stated.
Source: State of the Union
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