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Walt Disney World has taken legal action against the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) by filing a new lawsuit, claiming that the district failed to provide public records. The lawsuit, filed on Friday, December 22, accuses the CFTOD of not complying with Florida's public records law.

Disney alleges three counts of wrongdoing by the CFTOD. Firstly, they claim that the district unreasonably delayed and failed to produce the requested records. Secondly, they assert that the CFTOD did not properly retain the records, and thirdly, they accuse them of failing to retrieve the records in question.

According to Disney, the CFTOD's failure to comply with Florida's public records law has caused significant delays in obtaining a document that was originally requested by Disney seven months ago, in May 2023. The lawsuit emphasizes that these delays have led to inadequate preservation and storage of public records and improper claims of privilege and exemption from disclosure, which violate the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119.

Disney states in the lawsuit that the CFTOD's actions prevent the company from discovering the government's actions through public records requests, thereby violating Florida law. Disney is seeking relief from the court regarding this matter.

The latest lawsuit from Disney follows their threat in September 2023 to file additional legal actions against the CFTOD if they continued to disregard their public records requests. It appears that Disney is following through on their previous warning.

Throughout 2023, Disney has had a contentious relationship with the CFTOD, which was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The dispute stems from the disagreement between Disney and DeSantis over the controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill. In April, Disney filed a lawsuit against the CFTOD, citing violations of their federal constitutional rights. In response, the CFTOD accused Disney of engaging in bribery of public officials.

As the legal proceedings continue, attorneys for DeSantis and the CFTOD have argued in a recent motion to dismiss Disney's federal lawsuit that the alleged retaliation by the state of Florida against Disney is inconsequential.

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