Disney vs. Desantis feud continues: House of Mouse hits Florida governor with lawsuit
Disney filed a civil suit against Florida governor Ron DeSantis, citing a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against it
Florida governor Ron DeSantis tried to make a name for himself by picking a fight with the House of Mouse, but someone should have told him: you won’t like the Mouse when he’s angry. After dissolving Disney’s special tax district shortly after the company denounced the notorious “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the entertainment conglomerate has now hit DeSantis with a lawsuit alleging the politician has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against Disney.
The civil suit calls DeSantis’ “latest strike” undoing Disney World’s special designation “patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional,” per CNBC. In fact, the suit claims “this is as clear a case of retaliation as this Court is ever likely to see.”
The suit calls the actions of the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board, which shortly beforehand attempted to undo a preexisting Disney development deal, “unlawful and unenforceable.” It states, “There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the State for doing so.”
In response to the lawsuit, DeSantis’ communications director Taryn Fenske said in a statement to CNBC, “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.”
Per CNBC, taxpayers who reside within the former specially designated district around Disney could soon be hit with a nasty tax bill. “It has hurt us deeply,” said Disney neighbor Debra Mcdonald (per NPR). “It’s not just between the Governor and Disney. [It’s] affecting everyone around him.”
Finding oneself in the crosshairs of Disney’s lawyers just as one is trying to launch a presidential campaign is a curious political strategy, but it’s one DeSantis has been fervent about pursuing even as the rest of the Republican Party looks on with furrowed brow. As for us, we say: let them fight!