
According to court documents, the Walt Disney Company filed a counterclaim on Thursday against the committee that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) formed to assume charge of the special tax district for Walt Disney World.
The big picture: The decision was made during a protracted dispute between Disney and DeSantis that began when the latter’s support for the contentious “Don’t Say Gay” statute was made public.
While running for the Republican presidential nomination, DeSantis has brought up his spat with Disney. He did, however, imply that he wants the continuing legal dispute to finish in an interview with CNBC on Monday, stating that he had “basically moved on.”
Disney appears to have different plans.
The complaint, which was itself a countersuit, was brought in May by the Desantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board. This week, Disney filed counterclaims against it.
The media behemoth claims that the Florida constitution’s free speech provision was violated as well as a contract breach.
Disney is requesting injunctive relief as well as damages for the purported breach.
Quick recap: DeSantis withdrew the company’s 25,000-acre special tax district, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, outside Walt Disney World in Orlando, and he constituted a board of directors for the district that was stacked with his supporters.
In April, Disney sued DeSantis and the board, claiming their actions against the firm constituted a “targeted campaign” of government retaliation.
Earlier in May, the DeSantis-appointed board sued Disney on its behalf.
It’s important to note that Disney canceled plans for a brand-new, almost $1 billion employee campus in Orlando in May.
The cancellation, according to the corporation at the time, was brought on by “changing business conditions.”
But with Hurricane Hilary forecast to strike Southern California this weekend, putting Disneyland in harm’s way, Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis has offered to assist California with storm preparedness and relief efforts.
“Hurricane Hilary is approaching Southern California and is projected to make landfall as a tropical storm,” DeSantis posted on X on Saturday morning. “In Florida, we know how challenging storms can be and have significant experience responding in their wake — we stand ready to help the people of California in any way we can.”