Maybe someday Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will inspire Disney to create a villain character based on him in their next classic animated film, but for now Disney is throwing shade by the more traditional, tried-and-true tactic of suing him.
The Walt Disney Company filed a federal lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday on the grounds that he has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against Disney in their extended fight with the Republican governor over his controversial “Don't Say Gay” education bill.
The lawsuit came almost instantly on the heels of a move by DeSantis' camp to further tension between the two parties. The feud began back in 2022 when Disney spoke out against a Florida bill limiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity, which became known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Shortly thereafter, DeSantis and his allies went after the special tax district status that Disney had enjoyed since the 1960s, which allowed the company to govern over its Florida operations autonomously.
DeSantis then hand-picked a board of supervisors to govern the district — previously Disney had been allowed to choose its own board — and exert control over Florida's Disney World theme parks. But Disney countered that action by making a development deal which in effect restored the power of its own preferred board members.
The lawsuit was filed on the same day that the district’s DeSantis-appointed board of supervisors moved to undo that development deal. In the federal lawsuit, Disney is suing not only Gov. DeSantis, but also the five-member board and other state officials, on the grounds that this represents “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.”
Disney further alleges that “the government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional.”
Both sides appear to be digging in for a long battle. For Disney, millions of dollars and their right to freedom of speech are at stake. For Gov. Ron DeSantis, a presumed Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, his reputation as a hard-liner with his political base is on the line.
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