After Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Disney put aside their legal fight against one another, Disney may be investing $17 billion into its Florida resort.
Five DeSantis-appointed supervisors who oversee the Central Florida Tourism and Oversight District are set to vote Wednesday on the new development that both sides agreed to negotiate. In March, the governor’s office and Disney set aside their nearly two-year legal battle against one another in a settlement.
If approved, Disney would be allowed to build a fifth major theme park at Disney World and two more minor parks, including a water park. Disney could also add 14,000 hotel rooms to its existing 40,000. Restaurant and retail spaces could also increase by 20%.
In exchange, Disney would donate 100 of its 24,000 acres in Florida for the construction of infrastructure projects. Half of the construction projects would be contracted with companies based in Florida. Disney would also be required to spend at least $10 million of the $17 billion investment on affordable housing in central Florida.
The agreement with Disney and the Central Florida Tourism and Oversight District would last 15 years. The district, for most of its 50-year history, was controlled by Disney supporters, but recently has been overtaken by DeSantis picks.
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In 2022, Disney expressed opposition to DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” law, which banned schools from teaching lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity for lower grade levels. In turn, DeSantis appointed new people to the district, resulting in Disney suing the governor.
This March, many of the legal battles between the two entities were dismissed.
