A new development has occurred in Disney’s legal battle against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Disney vs. DeSantis
The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis in April of this year, claiming that the governor has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against Disney. Now, in papers filed on Monday, October 30th, Disney once again commented on this lawsuit and warned of potential repercussions if the court rules against Disney.
According to CBS News, Disney made a statement in court papers on October 30th that “if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wins a federal lawsuit in which Disney claims its free speech rights were violated by the Republican leader, the company won’t be the last entity to be punished over supporting a ‘disfavored viewpoint.’”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ©Deadline
Disney said, “If the line is not drawn here, there is no line at all.” They continued, “The retaliation against Disney for crossing the Governor’s ‘line’ was swift and severe: for the explicitly-stated purpose of punishing Disney for its comments, the State immediately stripped Disney of its voting rights in the governing body that oversees Disney’s use of its own private property.”
Reedy Creek Improvement District
Disney and DeSantis have been at odds for a while now, after Disney’s issued statements against the Parental Rights in Education law. Following those statements, DeSantis and the Florida legislature made significant changes to Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, turning it into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. They imposed a new board, declared some recent Disney x Reedy Creek agreements invalid, and threatened to build a prison near Disney World.
©Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board Livestream
Disney officially sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (as well as members of the District’s new board), alleging that the Governor has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against Disney. The lawsuit — filed in federal court — argues that DeSantis has orchestrated a campaign to punish Disney for its political views and that this all now threatens Disney’s business.
DeSantis
When Disney asked a judge to reject DeSantis’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Disney pointed out that “the First Amendment protects the right of free speech even if it goes against government powers” (CBS).
Within the lawsuit, Disney has alleged:
- For more than half a century, Disney has made an immeasurable impact on Florida and its economy, establishing Central Florida as a top global tourist destination
- Disney is one of Central Florida’s largest taxpayers
- Disney is also one of the largest employers in the State
Disney argues that DeSantis “paid no mind to the governing structure that facilitated Reedy Creek’s successful development until one year ago, when the Governor decided to target Disney.”
Magic Kingdom
According to Disney, “There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the State for doing so.”
Reedy Creek Building
Disney stated, “This is as clear a case of retaliation as this Court is ever likely to see.”
Disney is asking that the court:
- declare the legislative declaration just approved by the new Reedy Creek board as unlawful
- declare that the contracts Disney signed with the old board are still in effect, and
- declare that the laws impacting Reedy Creek (specifically, the first one that would have dissolved the district, and the second one that made substantial changes to the District) be declared unlawful.
We’ll continue to watch for more updates from Disney and the Florida governor, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest news.
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While I don’t agree with DeSantis, Disney should’ve stayed out of politics. They didn’t just say something about legislation, they stated they’d do everything in their power to have the law rescinded. Then the PR person resigned after Chapek made his remarks at the suggestion of the PR person.
Disney is acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Disney should stay out of local politics, especially when the laws have been approved by the voters in the state and have no direct impact on the Company’s business operations.
This lawsuit is absolutely in line with what happened. DeSantis is the one throwing the tantrum, not Disney. I hope Disney gets everything they asked for.
I too hope Disney get everything they asked for.