In a new joint stipulation filed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seeking to dismiss Disney’s lawsuit against him and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board.

All Defendants intend to file motions to dismiss the amended complaint.
Defendants request, and Plaintiff does not oppose, that the Court set the
following briefing schedule for the motions to dismiss:
• Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss: Due 6/26/23
• Plaintiff’s Responses: Due 7/26/23
• Defendants’ Replies: Due 8/9/23

While no official motion has been filed, the document indicates the intentions of the defendants to do so, and maps out deadlines agreed upon by both parties. The Governor and other defendants named by Disney in this lawsuit must seek dismissal on or before June 26 this year.

The Disney-DeSantis Feud

The Florida Governor and Walt Disney Company initially clashed over the corporation’s opposition to a much-debated and controversial Florida law regarding classroom instruction and discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, alongside various other recent state laws and proposals in a similar vein.

Bob Chapek was Chief Executive Officer at the time and initially remained silent and passive on the issue — until massive internal criticisms from cast members and controversy over Disney’s practice of making hefty political contributions to campaigns and individuals allegedly against their own stated human principles came into focus.

In an apparent act of retribution over Chapek’s expression of dissent, the Governor moved forward with various verbal and legal assaults on Disney, including the attempted dissolution of Reedy Creek and the eventual transfer of power directly under his control. DeSantis argues he is attacking a rather vague perception of something he calls “woke politics,” invading the state.

After heated exchanges and dramatic actions taken by Governor DeSantis in an apparent and self-described act of retribution, The Walt Disney Company sued the Governor and his newly handpicked board not long after Bob Iger’s return as CEO, citing a “targeted campaign of government retaliation — orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech.” The plaintiff argues that this chronology of events “threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.”

The CFTOD Board of Supervisors voted to file their own countersuit against Disney, essentially seeking to void and de-legitimize agreements Disney made with the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District before its forced dissolution. The new 188-page complaint names the Board itself as plaintiff against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The district is asking the court to render Disney’s development agreement with the Reedy Creek Improvement District as unenforceable, null, and void. They also ask the same be done of the restrictive covenants, which notably set the benchmark for expiry at 21 years after the death of the last living descendant of King Charles III, living as of the date of the document.

While Disney’s lawsuit is through federal court, the Board’s lawsuit is through Florida’s state courts.

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We spotted a few new changes to the transformation process for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom.

Flume

The edging repairs seem to be complete. Previously, construction crews chipped away at sections of the edging, poured new concrete, and painted it to match.

We presume some Louisiana-native plants may be used in the landscaping here.

This section of the façade on the left, just next to the track has been completely redone. The track has also been refurbished.

Small wooden crates continue to sit next to the flume.

A few weeks ago, we spotted a ride envelope on site to test that the new rockwork was not a danger to guests on the ride.

The rockwork here was destroyed and reconstructed to look more like it belongs in a bayou.

It was painted recently, too.

Façade

It looks like the construction crew added more greenery to the top of the mountain over the weekend. We saw them working on this last week.

The crane was in motion today.

Though Louisiana is not known for its mountains, it does have some small peaks, including Driskill Mountain which has an elevation of 535 above sea level (although Driskill is nowhere near New Orleans).

More of the lush greenery can be seen here.

Staircases and scaffolding cover the attraction to facilitate the construction crew safely.

Side of Attraction

The mountain is still completely surrounded by metal scaffolding.

On the side, a canopy has been added along the rock work near the tree stump.

Construction crew were spotted working beneath the new canopy on the attraction’s façade.

This may simply be erected to provide shade for the workers in the blistering Florida summer heat.

Pressed Penny Machines Still Available

We also noticed that the Splash Mountain pressed pennies are still available for purchase.

If you’re a fan of these souvenir coins, check out our recent coverage here.

Front of Queue

The front of the queue is looking largely the same as our last update.

Several trees are marked with purple flagging tape. Purple typically indicates irrigation, reclaimed water and slurry lines are beneath the ground.

The queue path still shows pink spray paint and is in need of cleaning and repair.

Back of Queue

The covered dirt pile is still there. In addition, there’s a large white box sealed with red tape that looks like it was brought in on a dolly.

A forklift is also parked here for future use.

We spotted more workers out and about here, too.

The dirt pile was created from tearing up the flooring of the barn, and the pile is getting smaller over time. We’re not sure what’s in the new box.

Large sheets of plywood are piled up in the queue.

The barn entrance is still covered with black fabric.

What do you think of the construction progress? We’d like to see your opinions in the comments below.

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