Disney is suing over what it calls “excessive” property tax assessments for its four theme parks, the failed Star Wars hotel and a slew of other properties from the company’s vast real estate portfolio in Orange County.
The multibillion-dollar entertainment giant filed about 15 lawsuits late last week in Orange Circuit Court.
Disney wants to cancel the original 2025 tax bills, be issued new ones for reassessed amounts, then get reimbursed for its legal fees for contesting the property taxes. The Mouse is also asking the court to award “general relief as may be just and equitable,” according to the complaints.
The lawsuits accused Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado’s Office of failing to use “professionally accepted appraisal practices,” although Disney’s complaints don’t provide details about its allegations.
“The assessments do not represent the just value of the Subject Property as of the lien date because they exceed the market value and therefore violates article VII, section 4 of the Florida Constitution,” the lawsuits said.
Disney has sued regularly over its property taxes for years. This time, however, the lawsuits come as state leaders are actively pushing to repeal or lower property taxes for residents.
Some state lawmakers are concerned about senior citizens and average Floridians struggling to afford their property taxes — although so far, officials aren’t specifically advocating for Disney to save money on its property tax bills in the ongoing debate for property tax relief.
The Walt Disney Co. is the most successful theme park operator in the world. Orlando’s Magic Kingdom is the crown jewel as the No. 1 most popular theme park on the planet, with an estimated 17.8 million visitors last year.
The Orange County Tax Collector did not immediately respond to questions from Florida Politics about how much Disney pays in property taxes or provide a breakdown of how much of that money funds local government, schools and the library system.
Disney said Magic Kingdom’s assessed value was at about $622 million, with Epcot at $795 million, Hollywood Studios at $639 million and Animal Kingdom at $495 million.
The site of the ill-fated Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser hotel was assessed at $38 million this year. Disney plans to turn the property into offices for Imagineers after the company shut down the hotel in 2023.
Other hotels being litigated over include the Grand Floridian Resort, accessed at $333 million, the Contemporary, at $243 million, and Coronado Springs, at $350 million.
Disney also did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday for this story.