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The courts will hear some of the next arguments between Walt Disney World and the board Gov. Ron DeSantis put in place to oversee it. FILE PHOTO
The festering feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney shifted to the courts this week, in a move the governor slammed as “political” and “without merit.”
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has filed a federal lawsuit arguing its First Amendment rights were violated and business harmed by a “relentless campaign” of retribution orchestrated by DeSantis and other officials.
In a response, the board appointed by DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney Co. property Monday pursued a lawsuit to counter litigation that the entertainment giant filed last week against the state.
Disney’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Tallahassee, alleged that DeSantis and other officials improperly retaliated against Disney because of the company’s opposition to a controversial 2022 law that restricts instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The lawsuit said the retaliation threatens the company’s “business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region and violates its constitutional rights.”
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors on Monday directed its attorneys to defend district officials named in Disney’s lawsuit. DeSantis this year appointed the board to replace the board of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was created in the 1960s and largely gave Disney selfgovernance power.
“Disney is asking a federal court in Tallahassee to wrestle back the hands of time to 1967, while this board is instead charged legislatively with bringing the district into the 21st century with new and better policies and practices,” new board Chairman Martin Garcia said.
Garcia said the district’s response “will seek justice in state court here in Central Florida where both it and Disney reside and do business. Yes, we’ll seek justice in our own backyard.”
The legal challenge came after a series of changes that included replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District board. Disney for decades had effectively controlled the district, which gave it power over issues such as land use, fire protection and sewer services that are typically handled by local governments.
Lawmakers in February approved a measure that renamed the Reedy Creek district as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and gave DeSantis power to appoint the district’s board. The Legislature and the new board have acted to nullify development agreements involving Disney that were approved by the former Reedy Creek board.
Disney contended in the lawsuit that it has made repeated efforts to de-escalate the dispute, and that the company had no choice but to fight back in court amid what it characterized as a bid by DeSantis to “weaponize government power.”
“Disney finds itself in this regrettable position because it expressed a viewpoint the governor and his allies did not like,” the lawsuit said. “Disney wishes that things could have been resolved a different way. But Disney also knows that it is fortunate to have the resources to take a stand against the state’s retaliation—a stand smaller businesses and individuals might not be able to take when the state comes after them for expressing their own views.”
The governor addressed the issue during a press conference in Israel last week.
“I think it’s political,” DeSantis said. “I think they filed (the lawsuit) in Tallahassee for a reason, because they’re trying to generate some districtcourt decision. But we’re very confident on the law.
“They don’t want to have to pay the same taxes as everybody else,” he added. “And they want to be able to control things without proper oversight, whereas every other Floridian has to have this type of oversight, all Florida businesses. So, it’s a little bit much to be complaining about that.”
Members of the GOPcontrolled Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday made changes to a transportation bill (SB 1250) that would require Disney’s iconic monorail system to face periodic state inspections.
The change, in part, would apply Department of Transportation safety standards to monorail lines that connect Walt Disney World resorts and parks. The plan would require audits and compliance reports to be conducted every three years and an annual onsite evaluation.
