Disney has announced that it is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in response to what the company alleges is a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power.” This lawsuit comes in response to alleged moves DeSantis has made to “punish” Disney for taking a stance against Florida legislation limiting discussion of LGBTQ+ lifestyles and gender identity issues last year.
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This week, a DeSantis-appointed board of legislators carried a motion to nullify the agreement between Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Reedy Creek Improvement District, the Florida county that allows Disney to essentially self-govern the area in and around Walt Disney World, Orlando. The legislation (set to go in effect on June 1st) is being viewed by critics as DeSantis’s attempt to bring Disney to heel, by hitting the company with new regulations and restrictions imposed by Florida’s government – all on DeSantis’s whims.
Apparently, the official motion to dissolve Reedy Creek’s governing board was a final straw, because now Disney’s legal department is springing into action. Disney made the following statement in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida:
“Disney regrets that it has come to this. But having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”
You can read more from the full legal filing, below:
- 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 and attracting tens of millions of visitors to the State each year. People and families from every corner of the globe have traveled to Walt Disney World because of the unrivaled guest experience it provides and the deep emotional connection that generations of fans have with Disney’s timeless stories and characters.
- A targeted campaign of government retaliation-orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech-now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.
- Today’s action is the latest strike: At the Governor’s bidding, the State’s oversight board has purported to “void” publicly noticed and duly agreed development contracts, which had laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs. This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional. But the Governor and his allies have made clear they do not care and will not stop. The Governor recently declared that his team would not only “void the development agreement”-just as they did today-but also planned “to look at things like taxes on the hotels,” “tolls on the roads,” “developing some of the property that the district owns” with “more amusement parks,” and even putting a “state prison” next to Walt Disney World. “Who knows? I just think the possibilities are endless,” he said.
- Disney regrets that it has come to this. But having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.
Disney’s legal battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is just beginning.
