Ron DeSantis-picked board votes to sue Disney in legal battle over Orlando district
Lawsuits for everyone!
The Florida board tasked with overseeing Disney World’s operations voted unanimously to OK a countersuit against the House of Mouse Monday — after Disney filed a initial claim against Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.
The entertainment giant sued DeSantis and his hand-picked board in Tallahassee federal court in a bid to reestablish control over the Orlando theme park. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will defend itself in that suit as well as challenge Disney in Orlando state court.
“This district will seek justice in state court here in central Florida where both it and Disney reside and do business,” board chair Martin Garcia said at a Monday meeting. “Yes, we’ll seek justice in our own backyard.”
DeSantis initially clashed with Disney after it opposed a bill banning school instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through the fourth grade. The governor asserted that the material was not appropriate for young children, while critics countered that it was hostile to the LGBTQ community.
DeSantis then sacked members of the board that oversees Disney’s special tax district and replaced them with his political allies, arguing that Florida’s largest employer had to be reined in.
But the outgoing board members quietly ceded their power back to Disney in February to neutralize the remade panel’s influence.
The DeSantis-backed board then voted to void that action — leading to Disney’s federal suit.
Disney argues that DeSantis targeted the company in “a clear case of retaliation” over its opposition to what critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
“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,” Disney’s suit contends.
Garcia argued Monday the company’s legal offensive seeks to regain the quasi-governmental authority it had enjoyed for decades before DeSantis took action.
“Disney is asking a federal court in Tallahassee to wrestle back the hands of time to 1967,” he said. “While this board is instead charged legislatively with bringing the district into the 21st century with new and better policies and practices.”
The high-profile standoff has burnished DeSantis’ credentials as a pugnacious culture war figure ahead of his presumptive run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.