Ron DeSantis tells federal judge to DISMISS Disney’s lawsuit over Reedy Creek

Ron DeSantis’ lawyers claimed in a filing filed Monday that Florida’s governor is immune from the Walt Disney Co. lawsuit. against him after he lost control of their specially administered district of Reedy Creek.

The motion to dismiss argues that while the lawsuit received national attention, it is not valid, and that the federal district court where the lawsuit was filed has no jurisdiction over the case.

DeSantis took charge of the Reedy Creek Improvement District earlier this year, appointing its own board to oversee the activities of the area that encompasses nearly 30 square miles of Orange and Osceola counties in Orlando, Florida.

The newly named Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will now be held responsible for paying all Florida taxes and will not be able to govern itself, DeSantis vowed when he stripped the previous board of power.

Disney Co. immediately moved to sue DeSantis for no longer having control over the land where the Disney World parks and resorts are located. The company claimed it was a power grab by the governor in their ongoing feud.

While Disney made headlines for suing the governor, Disney — like many litigants before it who have challenged Florida laws — has no basis for doing so. Neither the governor nor the secretary [of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity] enforce any of the laws in question, so Disney has no authority to sue them,” DeSantis’ lawyers wrote in their motion.

They found the Disney lawsuit “worthless for many reasons.”

Disney’s war with DeSantis began last year when the then-CEO spoke out against the governor over his parental rights in education bill, which critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The measure prohibits classroom instruction or discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity among students in kindergarten through third grade. Earlier this year, that law was extended to sixth grade.

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