The legal war between Disney and Florida is over

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Mickey Mouse. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer; AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File

• Disney World and Florida have settled their legal dispute.
• The feud began after Disney execs opposed DeSantis’ so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had appointed his own board members to oversee Disney’s land. 

The beef between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ allies is over.

The board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — which DeSantis hand-picked to take control of the park’s special district — agreed on Wednesday to settle the state lawsuit brought by Disney.

The feud between DeSantis and Disney began in 2022 after Disney executives publicly opposed the governor’s bill that restricted discussions of gender and sexuality in state classrooms, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.

DeSantis responded by signing a new law that allowed him to appoint board members to oversee Disney’s land, resulting in a nearly two-year-long battle for control of the special district.

DeSantis himself made his fights with Disney a part of his failed 2024 presidential bid, bringing up his battles with the company on the campaign trail.

Just before DeSantis’ allies took over the board, Disney’s outgoing board members passed an agreement stripping the board of much of its power, effectively hamstringing DeSantis’ incoming board.

Now, as part of the Disney-proposed settlement, Disney will wipe away that agreement, giving DeSantis’ board some of its power back.

The settlement lets the company continue its separate federal lawsuit against DeSantis. In that suit, Disney accused DeSantis of violating the company’s free speech rights.

And although a federal judge dismissed the suit in January, Disney has been seeking an appeal.

Disney won’t have to stop its appeal, but it will try to delay the case until after it has reached a new development agreement with DeSantis’ board.

The agreement also instructs the tourism board to consult with Disney as it reviews and amends planning documents for the Disney World site.

At the tourism board’s meeting on Wednesday, Vice Chair Charbel Barakat praised the settlement.

“With this settlement, which is complete and significant, we are eager to work with Disney — I’m certainly eager to work with Disney and all other businesses — to make the country’s tourism destination famous for a second reason, which is: good government,” Barakat said.

In a statement, Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle said the deal “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,” according to the Associated Press.

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.