DeSantis board approves suing Disney in response to lawsuit
The Disney lawsuit is asking a judge to annul the governor’s takeover of the theme park district previously controlled by the governor for 55 years.
Days after Disney sued Florida’s governor in federal court over what it described as retaliation for opposing the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, members of the Disney World board of directors – consisting of from Governor Ron DeSantis appointees – permission for a lawsuit on Monday against the entertainment giant.
Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted unanimously to sue Disney in state court in the Orlando area and defend itself in federal court in Tallahassee, where the entertainment company filed its lawsuit Wednesday.
The Disney lawsuit against the governor, the board and its five members is asking a judge to annul the governor’s takeover of the theme park district previously controlled by Disney for 55 years.
“We will seek justice in our own backyard,” said Martin Garcia, president of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The Associated Press news agency sent an email Monday morning to Disney officials seeking comment.
Disney filed a lawsuit last week after the DeSantis-appointed board of trustees voted to void a deal that gave the company authority over design and construction decisions at its sprawling properties near Orlando.
Disney’s lawsuit was the latest salvo in a more-than-year-old feud between Disney and DeSantis that has flooded the governor with criticism as he prepares to launch an expected presidential bid in the coming months.
DeSantis, who has portrayed himself as a Republican arsonist capable of executing his conservative agenda with dexterity and drama, has plunged headlong into the fray with the beloved company and tourism’s main driver, while corporate executives and rivals of the White House his position as a rejection of small government principles of conservatism.
The battle began last year after Disney, under intense pressure, publicly opposed a state law banning classroom classes on sexual orientation and gender identity in the first grades, a policy critic called “Don’t Say Gay.”
As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World’s self-governing district and appointed a new board of supervisors that would oversee municipal services at the sprawling theme parks. But before the new board took office, the company pushed through an 11th-hour deal that stripped the new supervisors of much of their authority.