JUST IN: Disney Sues DeSantis Alleging a ‘Targeted Campaign of Government Retaliation’
Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday, immediately after the board appointed by the Republican governor voted to nullify two key agreements that gave Disney control over its massive 25,000-acre resort complex.
Disney sued “asking a court to overturn state efforts to exert control over the company’s Walt Disney World theme parks in Orlando,” Reuters reported.
Disney sued DeSantis, the board, and other state officials in federal court and alleged the Republican’s administration has engaged in “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.” Disney and DeSantis have been at odds for months, stemming from a political disagreement over the DeSantis-backed law derided by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which restricted the teaching of certain LGBTQ-related topics in schools.
“The company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials,” the suit reads. The New York Times added that the suit claimed DeSantis “now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region and violates its constitutional rights.”
DeSantis’s office released a statement in response, saying, “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. 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.”
Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, recently slammed DeSantis’s moves against the company as “anti-business” and “anti-Florida.” Disney in recent weeks was seen as pulling one over on DeSantis as the company had deftly outmaneuvered the board and retained most of its legal authority over its district.
DeSantis’s attacks on Disney for expressing a political point of view, on which the company took no concrete action, has been controversial in both Republican and Democratic circles. Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) slammed DeSantis’s moves against the company as an attack on “free speech” enshrined in the First Amendment.
Reuters noted that a recent poll found the vast majority of Americans would be less inclined to support a candidate who punished a company for a political stance:
Seventy-three percent of respondents – including 82% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans – said they were less likely to support a political candidate who backs laws designed to punish a company for its political or cultural stances.
