Global Courant 2023-04-27 00:43:22
Disney filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and several Florida officials over a campaign the company said was “patently retaliatory, blatantly anti-business and blatantly unconstitutional.”
The lawsuit follows the decision of the state’s board of trustees to void “publicly announced and duly agreed development contracts that had laid the foundation for billions of Disney investment dollars and thousands of jobs,” the legal filing said.
The company’s lawsuit called the move “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 his constitutional rights.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks as part of his Florida Blueprint tour in Pinellas Park, Fla. March 8, 2023.
Scott Audette/Reuters, FILE
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been at odds with the company since Disney, the parent company of ABC News, publicly criticized a DeSantis-backed controversial Florida law banning content related to sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. limited. The Parental Rights in Education Act has been called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics and claims it portrays LGBTQ topics as taboo or inappropriate.
Disney, citing concerns about discrimination, has said it “should never have been passed and should never have been made into law”.
Proponents of the law say it allows parents to decide what their children can learn about certain subjects.
DeSantis has since attempted to take control of Disney’s special tax district, allowing the theme park to run itself, the lawsuit said. The Florida legislature voted to dissolve the district’s former board of directors and create a DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in its place. According to the lawsuit, the board voided a contract before the CFTOD was in effect.
Taryn Fenske, Governor Ron DeSantis’ director of communications, told ABC News, “We are not aware of any legal right that a corporation has to run its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other corporations in the stands.”
The statement continued, “This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hopes of undermining the will of Florida voters and operating outside the bounds of the law.”
Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate and former governor of South Carolina, poked at DeSantis’ battle with Disney. DeSantis is expected to launch his own 2024 presidential campaign soon.
“Hey @Disney, my home state is happy to accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida. We have great weather, great people and it’s always a great day in South Carolina,” Haley tweeted. “SC is not awake, but we are not sanctimonious about it either.”
ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
