DeSantis says Disney lawsuit without merit and is ‘political’
Jack Birle
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) called the lawsuit Disney filed against himself and other state officials without merit and “political” on Thursday.
Disney sued DeSantis along with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board and other state officials, accusing them of pursuing a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”
DISNEY LAWSUIT POINTS TO DESANTIS BOOK AND OP-EDS AS EVIDENCE OF RETALIATION
The Florida governor says the entertainment giant is pursuing legal action because it is being put on the same level as other theme parks. He also asserted that they are “confident” the law is on their side.
“They’ve been treated much different than Universal, SeaWorld, and all these other places. So they are upset because they’re actually having to live by the same rules as everybody else, they don’t want to pay the same taxes as everybody else, and they want to be able to control things without proper oversight, which every other Floridian has to have this type of oversight — all Florida businesses,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Israel on Thursday. “So it’s a little bit much to be complaining about.”
“I don’t think the suit has merit. I think it’s political,” he said. “I think they filed in Tallahassee for a reason because they are trying to generate some district court decision, but we’re very confident in the law.”
The lawsuit was filed shortly after the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District unanimously approved a resolution to declare an agreement designed to undercut the new board’s power as void. Disney cites that action by the board on Wednesday as the “latest strike” in the state’s string of “retaliatory” and “unconstitutional” actions.
“Today’s action is the latest strike: At the Governor’s bidding, the State’s oversight board has purported to ‘void’ publicly noticed and duly agreed development contracts, which had laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs,” according to the lawsuit. “This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional.”
Disney alleges the state violated Disney’s First Amendment right to speech, the contract and takings clauses in the U.S. Constitution, and the company’s 14th Amendment right to due process. Disney argues the actions by the state are punishing their protected speech regarding the state’s Parental Rights in Education bill.
The lawsuit cites various statements from DeSantis, and it also cites the governor’s book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival, five times.
“We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state,” Taryn Fenske, communications director for the governor, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. “This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law.”
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Disney is seeking to have the two laws restructuring the former Reedy Creek Improvement District declared as “unlawful and unenforceable,” along with legally upholding the agreement between Disney and the former district made on Feb. 8, which stripped the new district of most of its power.
The lengthy battle between DeSantis and the company began when Disney denounced the Parental Rights in Education Act, which DeSantis signed into law in March 2022.