Court Records Reveal Disney Paused Magic Kingdom’s Biggest Expansion Over DeSantis Fears

A Florida Politics investigation into 700 pages of court records has revealed a striking behind-the-scenes story: Disney quietly put its biggest Magic Kingdom expansion on hold at the height of the feud with Governor Ron DeSantis — and then used a politically connected law firm to quietly lock in its future development rights before the new DeSantis-appointed board could interfere.

The investigation by reporter Gabrielle Russon draws on depositions from Disney executives, DeSantis-appointed board members, and attorneys involved in the dispute. The court records reveal how Disney paused Magic Kingdom’s biggest expansion over DeSantis fears — and how it ultimately protected itself.

Disney Paused Magic Kingdom’s Biggest Expansion Over DeSantis Concerns

At the peak of the Disney-DeSantis feud, Disney’s top leadership quietly paused what would have been the biggest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history. The reason, according to depositions obtained by Florida Politics: uncertainty over whether the new DeSantis-controlled board would approve the wetland mitigation credits Disney needed to move the project forward.

Master Planning Executive Todd Rimmer testified directly to the concern: “When we’re looking at billions of dollars of investment, we want to be certain that we can proceed.”

The expansion — which includes Villains Land and new attractions — was not publicly announced until August 2024, months after Rimmer gave his deposition. That timeline tells its own story: Disney was holding back a public commitment until it had greater confidence the project could actually be built.

Disney’s Legal Strategy: Hire a Firm Connected to the Other Side

While publicly fighting the DeSantis administration in court, Disney was simultaneously working a different angle behind the scenes. According to Florida Politics, Disney hired Holtzman Vogel — a law firm with deep ties to the DeSantis administration — to help draft a development agreement that would lock in Disney’s future expansion rights before the new board took over.

The firm reportedly did not want its involvement publicly known. Holtzman Vogel had received more than $16 million in state legal work since 2021. Their connection to the DeSantis world was, from Disney’s perspective, likely the point — the theory being that a firm with ties to the administration might help negotiate an agreement the new board would accept or at least not immediately challenge.

One of the key figures involved, McGowan, reportedly had his own name removed from the agreement’s documents. His stated reason: to avoid what he called “a false narrative” that the deal was “something shoved down the district’s throat.”

The Outgoing Reedy Creek Board Was Kept in the Dark

The development agreement — the one designed to protect Disney’s expansion rights — was drafted in a matter of weeks and then approved by the outgoing Reedy Creek board before DeSantis’ new appointees took control. According to the depositions, McGowan wrote the talking points for Reedy Creek District Administrator John Classe to present to the board, and deliberately kept the details vague.

According to court records obtained by Florida Politics, McGowan wrote: “We think less is more in this case.”

The incoming board was furious when they discovered what had happened. Chair Martin Garcia publicly called it “a caper worthy of Scrooge McDuck.”

Where Things Stand Now

The feud that prompted all of this is effectively over. DeSantis is in his final year as governor, and all of his original board appointees — including the figures named in these depositions — have since been replaced. Disney’s expansion plans are now, according to the company, “moving full speed ahead with the support of” the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), with “more projects underway at Walt Disney World than at any other point in our history.”

The construction you can currently see going up around Big Thunder Mountain — the tall walls hiding the work on Cars Land and Villains Land — is the physical evidence of exactly the expansion Disney paused in 2022 and 2023. It’s now happening. The legal maneuvering of that era, however unusual, appears to have worked.

What This Means for Disney Parks Fans

For guests, the practical takeaway is simple: the expansion is real and it’s moving. Villains Land and the Cars-themed area are under active construction at Magic Kingdom. Disney committed billions of dollars to these projects even during one of the most uncertain periods in the company’s relationship with Florida government — and the court records now reveal how much internal anxiety that uncertainty created.

The behind-the-scenes story is a fascinating window into how large-scale theme park development actually works. Building new lands at Walt Disney World isn’t just about Imagineers with blueprints — it involves regulatory approvals, government relationships, legal strategy, and in this case, depositions that reveal how close Disney came to hitting pause on what will eventually be some of the most significant additions to Magic Kingdom in the park’s history.

The Bottom Line

Court records reveal Disney paused Magic Kingdom’s biggest expansion over DeSantis fears — and then quietly worked to secure its future development rights through a politically connected law firm before the new board could block it. The feud is over, the expansion is underway, and the depositions now give us a rare look at the real human anxiety inside one of the world’s largest entertainment companies during one of its most contentious government disputes.

For the full investigation, Gabrielle Russon’s reporting is available at Florida Politics. It’s worth a read for anyone interested in the real story behind how Walt Disney World’s future gets built.

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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop

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