Disney asks for delay in DeSantis appointees’ lawsuit, as worker describes a distracted district
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney this week requested a second delay in a state lawsuit involving its legal battle with Governor Ron DeSantis’ appointees over who controls Walt Disney World’s administrative district, as the company accused them and the governor’s office of requests to withhold documents that form part of the law. the lawsuit.
The entertainment giant’s request came as a county employee said in a statement that the takeover of the county government by DeSantis’ appointees last year, and the subsequent politicization, led to about 50 of the 370 employees leaving. The board has a monthly meeting on Wednesdays.
“There’s a very, very, very politically motivated board, and I know we try not to acknowledge that, but that’s a big reason why a lot of people are leaving,” said Erin O’Donnell, the county’s public records administrator . in a statement, parts of which were filed with the court last week. “Other people may have had their own issues with leadership… but a lot of people left just because of the whole upheaval in the district.”
The administrative district provides municipal services such as planning, mosquito control and fire suppression throughout the approximately 60 square miles of central Florida that make up Disney World.
DeSantis and the Republican Party-controlled Florida Legislature took control of the district’s governance last year, nearly a year after Disney publicly opposed the state’s so-called “don’t-say gay” law, which would ban class bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in the early grades. The law was championed by DeSantis, who had been running for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination until this week, when he suspended his campaign.
Disney, DeSantis and the district have taken their fight over who controls the district to state and federal courts.
O’Donnell’s partial deposition in state court was filed as part of Disney’s arguments that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and the governor’s office went overboard in producing the requested documents. In its request for a delay, Disney argued that it needs another six months to prepare to file a motion because it did not receive the documents in a timely manner.
The district said in court papers that it had provided the correct documents. It accused Disney of “going on a fishing expedition to score political points” and “accusing the district of misconduct when that is not the case.”
Disney’s motion will argue against a request by the district for the judge in the state case to issue an immediate ruling without the need for a full trial. The judge granted a postponement last year at Disney’s request for the same reason.
In court filings, Disney said DeSantis’ office failed to provide any requested documents and “relied on excuses that are as inconsistent as they are unbelievable.” Nick Meros, an attorney for the governor’s office, said Tuesday that his office does not comment on pending litigation. In an email to Disney lawyers filed in lawsuits, he said Disney’s requests were “broad and unwieldy.”
O’Donnell’s testimony provides insight into the turmoil since the takeover of the district, which was previously controlled by Disney supporters. The departure of longtime senior leaders has hampered daily operations and morale has taken a hit, she said.
Some procedures that had been ad hoc have been formalized by the new leadership, she added, but the attention paid to the shake-up and the backgrounds of DeSantis’ appointees was distracting. Among the appointees is Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the conservative activist group Moms for Liberty, who has been accused of hypocrisy after admitting that she and her husband had a sexual relationship with another woman even though they publicly opposed LGBTQ+ rights.
Last week, Sarasota police cleared her husband, Christian Ziegler, of rape charges involving the woman, but said they had asked prosecutors to charge him with illegally recording video of the sexual encounter he had with her. Earlier this month, the Florida Republican Party ousted Christian Ziegler as state party chairman.
“It’s just really hard to get through the whole day without hearing all the extra news,” O’Donnell said. “So I think, in their own personal lives, and what they’ve done, or what they’ve been a part of, has just created an extra buzz, so to speak, in the district.”
___
Follow Mike Schneider on X, formerly known as Twitter: @MikeSchneiderAP.