Originally published April 26, 2023 10:52 am PDT
Mass media conglomerate Walt Disney Co. filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), claiming that state efforts to control Walt Disney World theme parks violate its contract rights and First Amendment rights to free speech.
The legal action comes in response to DeSantis’ February signing of legislation ending Disney’s power over the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The district consisted of 25,000 acres that Disney has owned and self-governed for decades, but the new law allows DeSantis to appoint a five-member board to govern the district.
In its lawsuit, Disney accused DeSantis of attempting to “weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain state officials” and was “left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners.”
The company is seeking to overturn the legislative action taken by a newly formed DeSantis-appointed tourist board that it alleges deprived it of due process and just compensation.
A DeSantis spokesman pushed back against Disney’s lawsuit, calling it “an unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of Florida voters.”
The spokesman also questioned whether any company had a legal right to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state.
The conflict between Disney and DeSantis began last year when the company came out against a Florida bill limiting hyper-sexualized classroom discussions, which critics inaccurately dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Shortly afterward, the governor and his allies targeted the special tax district that has allowed Disney to essentially self-govern its Florida operations since the 1960s.
Disney World draws millions of visitors every year to its massive amusement parks.
Amid reports of the lawsuit, it was revealed that DeSantis’ new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), had unanimously passed a resolution to void the agreement that allowed Walt Disney World to maintain control over much of its business operations, NBC News reported.
“Disney was openly and legally granted a unique and special privilege, that privilege of running its own local government,” former Florida Supreme Court justice Alan Lawson, whose firm was hired by the board, said during the board meeting. “That era is ending.”
“Disney picked the fight with this board. We were not looking out for a fight. We had agreed to meet with the leadership of Disney to figure out how we could work together,” said chair of the CFTOD board of supervisors Martin Garcia.
Lawyers hired by the new supervisors have alleged that the agreement between Reedy Creek and Disney is null and void because Reedy Creek lacked the authority to dictate planning decisions within the city limits of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista.
The lawyers further stated that the agreement is based on an incorrectly approved comprehensive plan, as Reedy Creek failed to send out mandatory notices by mail to all landowners who would be impacted by the plan before conducting a public hearing and voting on it.
Despite Disney’s near-total ownership of the land, the lawyers emphasized that other landowners would also be affected by the agreement.
Restaurant and business owners voiced their concerns about the proposed changes, particularly regarding tax increases, during a meeting held on Disney property, attended by the supervisors.
