Disney, Ron DeSantis and Democrats make up Orlando’s top stories for 2024

HDR image of orlando skyline with lake eola in foreground

When you picture Orlando, you think of theme parks. It’s no surprise then that three of the biggest stories of 2024 in Central Florida involve Disney World or Universal.

Here’s a recap of some of the top news stories that happened in a busy year as public fights and big announcements dominated the headlines.

Epic’s opening

The biggest theme park event in 25 years is the opening of Universal’s Epic Universe. Universal made a splash this year, announcing it will open the new park May 22, just in time for a busy Memorial Day weekend. Epic Universe will feature Harry Potter, Universal monsters and more. We can’t wait.

Mayor Eskamani?

Term-limited Rep. Anna Eskamani, a popular Orlando Democrat, announced she is turning her sights on her next political office: Orlando Mayor. Eskamani filed to run for the job in 2027 after current Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he wasn’t planning to seek another term. Eskamani immediately started collecting endorsements and support from her fans and allies. 

Downtown troubles

Whoever is Orlando Mayor must deal with lingering concerns about how to improve the downtown and lower crime — one of the persistent stories in local media throughout the year. The violence escalated on a crowded Halloween night when a gunman killed two people and injured others, according to authorities.

Dyer has cracked down on bars this year. Several longtime establishments shut their doors and some are suing the city of Orlando and accusing the city of unfairly targeting them. Dyer presented his vision of making the downtown more pedestrian- and family-friendly.

Worrell wins

Orange and Osceola voters sent a strong message to Gov. Ron DeSantis: Keep Monique Worrell in office. Worrell beat DeSantis-appointee Andrew Bain in the race for State Attorney after the Governor suspended Worrell in 2023. Worrell won by a wide margin in November, although questions remain to be answered: Will DeSantis go after Worrell again and remove her from office in 2025?

Gilzean’s spending

Speaking of DeSantis appointees, Glen Gilzean’s spending scandal was another major story that emerged in the final weeks of his term. Gilzean spent millions of dollars on his new programs to engage voters. Outraged, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Commissioners eventually cut off his December budget payment. Gilzean sued to get the funds, although his lawsuit hasn’t gone anywhere. Meanwhile, incoming Elections Supervisor Karen Castor Dentel inherits a tight budget since Gilzean spent 51% of his annual budget in the first 2.5 months.

Disney, DeSantis make peace

The well-publicized fight between Disney World and DeSantis ended this year. Disney also settled its lawsuit with its own governing board filled with DeSantis appointees. Disney accused DeSantis of retribution and violating its First Amendment right for speaking out against “Parental Rights in Education” legislation, otherwise known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.”

The end of the cultural wars means Disney can focus on building things. The theme park giant announced its moving forward on a multibillion-dollar expansion at Disney World that includes a Villains themed land in the Magic Kingdom. 

Arts miss out

Orlando also became sucked into another cultural war this year that attracted DeSantis’ wrath. For the first time ever, the entire line item for statewide arts funding was axed from the state budget. DeSantis blamed the Orlando Fringe for being offensive and too inappropriate to be deserving of taxpayer funds when discussing why he vetoed the money. Orange Fringe responded by inviting DeSantis to the popular theater festival to let him know what the Governor was missing out on. 

Disney loses in court of public opinion

It wasn’t just a woman’s tragic death from severe food allergies from her Disney Springs dinner that made bad headlines. It was how Disney chose to fight the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the widower. Disney argued the lawsuit should be heard in arbitration because of the terms and conditions from its Disney+ streaming service and its theme park app, which would have robbed the widower of a jury trial to hear his emotional case.

Florida Politics broke the story and as national media outlets began covering the shocking legal strategy, Disney reversed course and said the case should be heard in the courts system. Is this going to be a legal strategy we see from Disney again in future lawsuits?

Orange County goes blue

In Orange County, two female Democrats beat their better-funded Republican male opponents who had the backing of the tourism industry. Kelly Semrad and Nicole Wilson were both victorious this November for the Orange County Commission races. Mayra Uribe, an incumbent, also won versus former Rep. Linda Stewart, who was endorsed by the hospitality industry. Even though Democrats lost big in the state and nationally, Orange County Democrats had a good night.

The books fight back

A group of best-selling authors and the biggest publishing companies in the industry are suing in Orlando’s federal court division to fight the state’s law making it easier for people to ban books in schools. The lawsuit against Orange and Volusia School Boards, as well as state education leaders, to overturn HB 1069 is pending.