Ready your stomachs. Food options on Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, will include a dedicated Thai restaurant, as well as an eatery that caters to passengers who prefer plant-based diets.
27.03.2024 - 20:55 / forbes.com / Ron Desantis
Disney settled its state lawsuit with the board that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to oversee Walt Disney World’s special district, the board and Disney confirmed Wednesday, ending a lengthy legal battle between the media giant and Florida government and canceling a controversial development agreement Disney enacted that hamstrung DeSantis’ political appointees.
The settlement agreement, which the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved at its meeting on Wednesday, will end litigation in state court between Disney and the DeSantis-appointed board.
The legal battle concerned a last-minute development agreement that Disney reached with the board before it was replaced by DeSantis’ appointees, which stripped the board of much of its power and, the new board complained, “essentially makes Disney the government.”
That agreement is now null and void under the terms of the settlement, the board said Wednesday.
Disney is separately suing DeSantis and other officials in federal court through an appeal after a district judge dismissed the lawsuit—and under the terms of the settlement, Disney won’t end that appeal, but will ask the court to push it back until a new development agreement is reached.
The legal battles are part of a broader yearslong controversy between Disney and DeSantis, as the governor targeted Disney and its special district—which the company previously essentially controlled as its majority landowner—after the company opposed the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.”
Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle said in a statement the company was “pleased” to end the state court litigation, adding the settlement “opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district” and enables continued job creation.
It’s unclear how the new legal settlement will affect relations with the DeSantis-appointed board and Disney going forward, though it’s likely to make their relations less acrimonious. Thesettlement also coincided with the appointment of a new administrator, Stephanie Kopelousos, whose arrival at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is viewed as “somewhat of a peace offering” to Disney, Politico reported Wednesday. Kopelousos is the former Florida transportation secretary and she authored a carveout in a Florida social media law that exempted Disney and other companies that own theme parks from the law’s restrictions, with sources cited by Politico saying she’s “respected” by the company and that her appointment is “a signal of detente and move on and mutual collaboration.”
The special district that oversees Walt Disney World—previously known as Reedy Creek Improvement District before
Ready your stomachs. Food options on Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, will include a dedicated Thai restaurant, as well as an eatery that caters to passengers who prefer plant-based diets.
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