United Parks faces another local tax dispute
It looks like United Parks and Resorts is in yet another tax dispute with a community that hosts one of its theme parks.
Two years ago, United Parks settled a suit with the City of San Diego that the city filed after a dispute over how much money SeaWorld San Diego owed in rent and property taxes during California's pandemic shutdown. Now, United Parks is facing another dispute over allegedly unpaid taxes.
This time, it's Busch Gardens Williamsburg that is involved. James City County is seeking $22 million in back taxes, according to a local media report. The dispute follows United Parks' appeal of James City County's taxing practices.
That appeal initially resulted in a tax refund for Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but now the county is claiming that United Parks actually owes even more money.
A county official told a local TV station that they are working to resolve the matter with United Parks, which has not commented.
Also on the legakl beat, earlier this year, United Parks was hit with a lawsuit in federal court from long-time partner Sesame Workshop, who filed to get out of its licensing deal with the company: Sesame Street looks to get out of its SeaWorld deal.
So if there is a position with great job security in the theme park industry right now, it's in the United Parks legal department.
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So that everyone is up to date, BGW is having a dispute over back taxes from rewritten property classifcations, Sesame Workshop Partnership is disputing breach of contract on unpaid royalties/marketing and let us not forget the DOJ on its discrimination lawsuit.
To piggy back off of Robert's comment, if United Parks isn't your jam, jump over to the Walt Disney Company as they too are in a rotating battle with the Orange County Property Appraiser over property taxes.