The Orange County Property Appraiser’s office has appealed the verdict regarding a recent property tax dispute between Walt Disney World and the County, according to a report from ClickOrlando.
- Back in July, a judge ruled in favor of Disney in a suit regarding the Yacht and Beach Club Resort, agreeing that the taxable value should be reduced.
- Now the appraiser’s office is appealing that ruling.
- Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh’s office assessed the value of the two resorts at $336.9 million, while Disney claimed the property should be valued at $188.6 million.
- The court appraised the property at $209 million, ruling that Disney should be given a $1.2 million refund.
- Singh believes there were errors in the court’s appraisal, hence the appeal.
What they’re saying:
- Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh on the court’s appraisal: “We will continue to vigorously defend our valuation to ensure that Walt Disney World pays its fair share to Orange County’s tax roll. With due respect to the judiciary, the material presented by Disney was grossly and skillfully flawed and devoid of both proper and accepted appraisal methodologies, which are applied to every hotel and resort property in Orange County.”
- Singh on the appeal: “We are confident that a closer review of the calculations used to determine value will result in the ruling being overturned. It is simply illogical that The Yacht and Beach Club – with nearly 1,200 guest rooms and over 100,000 square feet of meeting space – has a market value of $209 million.”
Previously in the Disney/Singh Saga:
- Part of the reason Disney argued that the appraisal was incorrect was because Singh included “ancillary income” from stores and restaurants in the resort.
- Disney also noted that the Yacht and Beach Club Resort was assessed at $154 million in 2014 before jumping sharply in 2015 despite the resort undergoing no significant expansion in that time.
- In his ruling, Senior Judge Thomas Turner wrote that Singh’s assessment was “unconstitutional and invalid.”
- Meanwhile, Disney has several similar lawsuits in the works, including a series suits regarding a number of their properties the company filed earlier this year.