Ron DeSantis slams Disney’s ‘political’ lawsuit against him on trip to Israel

Ron DeSantis brushed off Disney’s lawsuit against him by claiming the company is trying to avoid paying its fair share of taxes.

During his international trade mission this week, Florida’s governor couldn’t escape the war with Disney after waking up Thursday to news that Disney had filed a lawsuit against him in federal court.

Speaking from Israel, DeSantis claimed, “They are upset because they have to live by the same rules as everyone else. They don’t want to pay the same taxes as everyone else and they want to have control without proper supervision.’

“The days of putting one company on a pedestal without accountability are over in the state of Florida,” he added.

DeSantis is touring the world this week with his wife and Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis and their two oldest children — Madison, 6, and Mason, 5. The family kicked off the four-leg journey earlier this week with a stop in Japan before heading to South Korea.

DeSantis’ second trip to Israel came on a week-long international trade tour that also includes stops in Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Pictured: DeSantis signs legislation criminalizing acts such as posting anti-Semitic flyers at private homes or projecting images onto buildings

In Israel, DeSantis made comments Thursday about US-Israel relations and participated in a signing ceremony to pass legislation criminalizing public hate speech against Jewish people, including posting anti-Semitic flyers at private homes or projecting these images on buildings.

This was DeSantis’ second visit to Israel since becoming governor of Florida.

Tomorrow he will conclude his trade trip with meetings in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, on the home front, DeSantis returns to Florida where he faces a lawsuit from his nemesis Walt Disney Co.

The “corporate kingdom,” as he likes to call it, isn’t going down without a fight as it filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court against DeSantis and Florida’s Tourism Oversight Board for wresting control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The Reedy Creek Special Tax District is home to Disney World and Walt Disney World resorts, employs 75,000 people, and attracts 50 million visitors annually.

In the filing, business executives accused DeSantis and Florida of a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” in the strife sparked by Disney criticizing the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.

“This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hopes to undermine the will of Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law,” DeSantis communications director Taryn Fenske said in a statement to DailyMail.com about Disney’s lawsuit. .

She added that the Florida governor’s team “is not aware of any legal right a corporation has to run its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other corporations in the state.” ‘

DeSantis named five new members to the board of directors that oversaw the district where Disney once had near-autonomous power and operated similarly to a local government.

Disney filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida’s Tourism Oversight Board for usurping their control of Reedy Creek

The Reedy Creek Improvement District spans nearly 40 square miles and includes the entire Walt Disney World Resort. Area is renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and includes a new DeSantis-appointed five-member board

Disney was not happy with this move and tried to make last-minute deals with the outgoing board to secure its power and deprive the new panel of all decision-making powers.

However, lawyers informed the board that the deals were made illegally and are therefore null and void.

After a vote by the new board to void the deal, Disney took another step in the war by accusing the district of the Republican governor of “weaponizing” its power to impose political punishment.

Since 1967, Disney has controlled the land where the theme park, resorts, and offices are located, and has the decision-making authority of the de facto self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District.

But DeSantis has made it his mission to make sure Disney doesn’t get special privileges that other businesses in the Sunshine State don’t get.

“For more than half a century, Disney has had an immeasurable impact on Florida and its economy, making Central Florida one of the world’s top tourist destinations and drawing tens of millions of visitors to the state each year,” the lawsuit reads.

“People and families from all corners of the world have traveled to Walt Disney World for the unparalleled guest experience it provides and the deep emotional connection generations of fans have with Disney’s timeless stories and characters,” it continues.

“A targeted campaign of government retaliation — orchestrated every step of the way 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.”

Ron DeSantis and his wife and first lady Casey DeSantis of Florida visit South Korea Wednesday on the second stop of the governor’s international trade tour

The lawsuit comes in response to the new board continuing to void deals Disney made before the transfer of control in an effort to wrest power from the new board and give it all to the company.

Lawyers alleged that the deals were made so illegally because proper timeline for notice and procedures were not followed.

Critics say the last-hour deals were made in an effort for Disney to seize power and strip the powers of the DeSantis-appointed board.

Disney had already celebrated its victory over DeSantis in a war that erupted after the former CEO publicly denounced the governor’s parental rights in education law last year, which restricts education in sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.

While Disney argues in its lawsuit that Reedy Creek Improvement District has benefited Florida residents, DeSantis and his allies in the Florida legislature claim it receives special treatment that other businesses in the state don’t benefit from.