Florida attorney general tells Disney state could publicize records as DeSantis feud heats up
Emily Jacobs Jack Birle
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Florida’s attorney general warned Disney that some of its company records could be made public as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) leads an attempted state takeover of the central Florida district encompassing the Walt Disney World Resort.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the warning in a letter Thursday to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, advising him that some internal documents could be subject to the state’s public records law and released publicly. The missive is the latest update in the feud between DeSantis and the legacy media giant.
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“Those agreements supposedly transfer certain government functions to Disney,” Moody wrote in the letter. “I am writing because these agreements may render Disney subject to Florida’s public records laws.”
DeSantis has been working to take control of the special district encompassing the Walt Disney World Resort but has faced some roadblocks as Disney has fought to maintain its autonomy.
The battle between the two, which led to Disney’s central Florida district being restructured, stemmed from the entertainment giant’s comments denouncing DeSantis’s push for the Parental Rights in Education Act last year. Disney had maintained full autonomy over the district since its creation in 1967.
Disney made a deal with the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board ahead of the restructuring to undercut the state’s takeover, though DeSantis allies in the state legislature are working to pass a bill revoking that agreement.
Moody’s letter did not include any demands for specific records from Disney but rather served to put the company on notice that it may be in violation of state law if it withholds information going forward. She noted that as a result of the agreement, Disney’s records relating to the “development of Disney-owned properties in Florida, rate setting for utilities and other similar matters” where it “purports to exercise delegated government functions” could be made public.
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“Please also be advised there is generally no attorney-client or work product privilege when dealing with public records,” she wrote to the Disney CEO.
As the Disney-DeSantis feud heats up, the Florida governor has vowed to go after the company in more ways than one. Most recently, he announced his plans to raise taxes on Disney hotels and impose tolls on roads leading to the corporation’s theme parks. He joked on Monday that once under government control, the district could build a competing theme park or a state prison on the land.