Okay, this isn’t the most magical Disney news, but it’s definitely interesting. Disney just wrapped up 11 property tax lawsuits with the Orange County Property Appraiser, and they’re all about three very fancy, very famous hotels.
We’re talking Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Yep, the monorail loop crew. The ones right by Magic Kingdom that everyone dreams of staying at.
Wait, Disney Sued?
Yes, and here’s the twist. Disney is actually the one who filed these lawsuits. Every single year, Disney challenges how much the county says its hotels are worth for tax purposes. So this isn’t Disney getting sued. It’s Disney pushing back on its tax bills.
This time, six of the lawsuits got settled, and the other five were dropped.
The Settled Ones
The six settled lawsuits set new “just values,” which is basically the market value used to figure out property taxes, for the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian from 2015 through 2020.
For the Grand Floridian, the new just values range from $356,290,945 in 2015 up to $416,030,191 in 2018, then $371,153,374 in 2019 and $395,365,019 in 2020. For the record, 2016 came in at $371,533,205 and 2017 at $395,326,403. Fancy hotel, fancy numbers.
The Polynesian’s values are a bit smaller but still huge. It starts at $155,623,556 in 2015, then $161,051,633 in 2016, $164,885,974 in 2017, $168,034,456 in 2018, and $176,097,099 in 2019, before dropping to $158,692,884 in 2020.
The assessed values for both resorts are staying exactly the same, though.
The Contemporary Didn’t Budge
As for the Contemporary, nothing changed. Its just and assessed values are staying put. So the big A-frame with the monorail running through it is sticking with its original numbers.
The Dropped Ones
The other five lawsuits were voluntarily dismissed with prejudice. Basically, Disney decided to drop them, and they can’t be brought back. Done, gone, closed.
Those covered all three resorts for 2021, 2022, and 2023, plus the Grand Floridian and Contemporary for 2024.
So, Does Disney Owe Money or Get Money Back?
That part is still being figured out. Here’s how it works. Property Appraiser Amy Mercado has 30 days to send a Certificate of Correction to the Tax Collector and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Then they redo the math using the new values.
If Disney owes more, revised bills go out within 30 days, and Disney gets 30 days to pay without a penalty. If Disney is owed money back, a refund check gets mailed to Disney’s attorney. So we’ll have to wait and see.
Disney Does This Every Year
This isn’t a one-time thing. Disney files these lawsuits every year. Earlier this year, Disney settled cases over Art of Animation, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Wilderness Lodge too.
Why Teachers Care About This
Here’s where it gets a little heated. Property taxes help pay for local schools, so a lot of people in Orange County aren’t loving these lawsuits.
In July, members of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association and Disney Cast Members represented by UNITE HERE delivered petitions asking Disney to drop them. And Orange County Public Schools actually set aside $119 million just in case it had to pay refunds to Disney.
Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez said that any money left over could go toward teacher salaries. So yeah, teachers are definitely watching how these cases shake out.
Why These Three Hotels?
The Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary are some of the most valuable hotels at Walt Disney World. They’re right on the monorail loop, just a quick ride to Magic Kingdom, and they’re always in high demand. So when it comes to taxes, even small changes in their value can mean big money.
Not the Last We’ll Hear
With 11 cases now closed, the next step is crunching the new numbers. But since Disney files these every single year, we’re pretty sure this isn’t the last property tax lawsuit we’ll be talking about.
So what do you think? Should Disney keep fighting these, or let them go?
