Voiding Disney Development Pacts May Chill Other Deals

Attempting to outmaneuver the Walt Disney Co. in its high-stakes tug-of-war for oversight of the company’s massive property holdings in Central Florida, the state legislature and a board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis have taken steps that are not only legally questionable but also could negatively affect economic development across the state, several experts told Law360. 

Jesse Dean-Kluger says Disney received certain freedoms and tax breaks in order to encourage them to grow and become a huge employer in Florida. 

“The trade-off for these contracts was that Disney would invest a ton of money, employ a lot of people, support the tourism industry in Central Florida,” he said. “I do think that as a matter of law that when you have a contract, absent it being for some illegal purpose or something, the government really is not allowed to just come in and cancel it. That’s just basic law.”

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