The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board members approved the settlement agreement, putting an end to almost two years of litigation following Gov. Ron DeSantis' takeover of the district from Disney supporters. The dispute was sparked by Disney's opposition to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, which led to the governor appointing a new board of supervisors and taking control of the district. Disney had filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and his appointees, claiming their free speech rights were violated, but a federal judge dismissed the case in January.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Disney agreed to let stand the determination by the DeSantis appointees that the comprehensive plan approved by the Disney supporters before the takeover is null and void. The agreement also states that a development agreement and restrictive covenants passed before the takeover are not valid. Instead, a comprehensive plan from 2020 will be used, with the new board having the ability to make changes to it. The agreement also suggests that Disney and the new board will negotiate a new development agreement in the near future.

However, district attorneys representing the Walt Disney World governing district have filed a motion for a protective order to prevent the DeSantis-appointed board members from having to give videotaped depositions to Disney attorneys as part of the ongoing state lawsuit. The attorneys cite the "apex doctrine," which generally protects high-level government officers from being subject to depositions unless all other means of obtaining information have been exhausted. The district attorneys argue that the board members do not have unique, personal knowledge relevant to the case to overcome the apex doctrine.

Since the takeover last year, the district has experienced an exodus of experienced staff members, with many citing politicization of the governing body as the reason for their departure. Disney has also filed a public records lawsuit against the district, claiming that their responses to information requests have been delayed and inadequate. The battle between DeSantis and Disney began in 2022 after the company publicly opposed the "Don't Say Gay" law, which has since been appealed.