The Walt Disney Company's 77-page lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his entire Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board contains a full history of the dispute between the entertainment giant and the state of Florida, and is the first time we have heard it in detail from Disney's perspective.
It is a compelling read and provides great insight into Disney's thinking over the past couple of years in dealing with an ever-increasing hostile Florida Governor. If you don't have time to read the entire filing, here are some of the notable points as presented by Disney.
"Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the State for doing so."
"State leaders have not been subtle about their reasons for government intervention. They have proudly declared that Disney deserves this fate because of what Disney said. This is as clear a case of retaliation as this Court is ever likely to see."
"Disney now is forced to defend itself against a State weaponizing its power to inflict political punishment."
"In America, the government cannot punish you for speaking your mind."
"On March 30, State Representative Spencer Roach disclosed for the first time that the Legislature was considering dissolving RCID and announced, 'If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County.' Governor DeSantis had been orchestrating the move behind the scenes. As he recounts it in his memoir, "I needed to be sure that the Legislature would be willing to tackle the potentially thorny issue involving the state's most powerful company. I asked the House Speaker, Chris Sprowls, if he would be willing to do it, and Chris was interested. 'OK, here's the deal,' I told him. 'We need to work on this in a very tight circle, and there can be no leaks. We need the element of surprise—nobody can see this coming.'"
"House Bill 9B, like Senate Bill 4C, was a law designed to target Disney and Disney alone. It shifted the power to select the District's board from the District's landowners, including its majority landowner, Disney, to the Governor—to enable him to punish Disney for its protected speech about House Bill 1557. In comments to reporters on February 8, 2023, Governor DeSantis said of House Bill 9B: 'There's a new sheriff in town and that's just the way it's going to be.'"
"Having exhausted all other options, Disney is left with no choice but to bring this complaint asking the Court to stop the State of Florida from weaponizing the power of government to punish private business."
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