ORLANDO, FLA. – In Orlando, Florida, a state court judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Governor Ron DeSantis appointees against Disney’s efforts to counter the governor’s takeover of Disney World’s governing district.
The lawsuit alleges that Disney wrongly deprived appointees of powers over design and construction at Disney World when it made agreements with previous members of the governing board who supported the company.
This legal battle is one of two lawsuits resulting from the takeover, which was a response to Disney’s public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation championed by DeSantis and Republican lawmakers. In another lawsuit filed in federal court in Tallahassee, Disney claims that DeSantis violated the company’s free speech rights.
Governor DeSantis has used his year-long dispute with Disney as a talking point in his bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, often accusing the entertainment giant of being too “woke.” On the other hand, Disney has accused the governor of violating its First Amendment rights.
Disney’s attorneys argued that any decision in state court would be irrelevant since the Republican-controlled legislature had already passed a law voiding the agreements made by the company with the previous governing board, which granted design and construction powers to Disney.
Disney requested that the state court case be put on hold or dismissed until the federal lawsuit in Tallahassee is resolved since both cases cover similar grounds, and the federal lawsuit was filed first.
In the federal case, Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in an attempt to halt the takeover, claiming that the governor was violating the company’s free speech and using government power to punish private businesses.
Governor DeSantis was not involved in the state court lawsuit.
The conflict between DeSantis and Disney began last year after the company publicly opposed a state law that banned classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” policy. As a result, DeSantis took control of the district through legislation passed by Florida lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services for the extensive theme parks and hotels. Before the new board took over, Disney made agreements with previous oversight board members who were supporters of the company, stripping the new supervisors of their authority over design and construction.
In response, DeSantis and Florida lawmakers passed legislation that repealed those agreements.
In May, Disney announced that it had abandoned plans to build a new campus in central Florida and relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance, and product development. The company had originally intended to construct the campus approximately 20 miles (30 kilometers) away from the Walt Disney World theme park resort.