Disney vs. DeSantis: the Lawsuit Expands
On Monday, Disney expanded its federal lawsuit against Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis. The company claims DeSantis is “doubling down on his “retribution campaign” against the company by signing legislation to void Disney’s development deals in Orlando,” CNBC reported.
Disney claims the drama with DeSantis started last year after the company expressed displeasure with the controversial Florida bill dubbed by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” The bill limits the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.
The feud continued and Disney filed the lawsuit when DeSantis appointed a new board that “voted to void a deal that gave the company authority over design and construction decisions in its sprawling properties near Orlando,” according to AP News.
A bill was signed by DeSantis on Friday that included language that directly targets Disney’s development contracts. “It precludes an independent special district “from complying with the terms of any development agreement” that is struck within three months before a law “modifying the manner of selecting members” of that special district’s governing body,” per CNBC.
DeSantis has received heat from Democratic members of the Legislature including Senator Linda Stuart. She described the feud as “Every day it seems like there’s another way that they want to try to make things more difficult for Disney, but all they’re doing is costing taxpayers money to hire lawyers to go defend what they are doing,” in a statement to CNBC.
