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Disney has sued Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, claiming the state’s retaliation for its stance on LGBTQ+ issues violates its constitutional rights
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 26 Apr 2023
Disney has escalated its war with Florida governor Ron DeSantis by filing a lawsuit against the presidential hopeful Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Disney has filed a lawsuit against Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, with the company alleging that his administration has been waging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” against the company’s “protected speech.”
According to the lawsuit, Disney says that DeSantis “threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardises its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.”
“For more than half a century, Disney has made an immeasurable impact on Florida and its economy,” reads the filing.
“Disney regrets that it has come to this. But having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponise government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain state officials.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger has previously called DeSantis “anti-Florida” with the company and the governor at war ever since Disney opposed Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which restricts what teachers can educate children on when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues.
DeSantis has attempted to strip Disney of its special Reedy Creek governing district, which allows the company to regulate itself in Florida at Disney World.
In response, Disney invoked the name of King Charles III with a special clause that handed control back to the mouse.
As a result, DeSantis has ordered an investigation into the move, which Iger said would punish the company for its “exercise of a constitutional right.”
DeSantis also joked about perhaps building a new state prison close to Disney World. He also previously said that “if Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy”, also adding that he would “not allow a woke corporation based in California to run our state”.
Disney is planning to invest more than US$17bn (€15.4bn, £13.6bn) into Disney World over the course of the next decade. This, says Iger, will create more than 13,000 jobs as well as thousands of indirect jobs, benefiting Florida.
Disney's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, dramatically escalates the war between the company and the state.
“Disney finds itself in this regrettable position because it expressed a viewpoint the governor and his allies did not like,” reads the lawsuit.
“Disney wishes that things could have been resolved in a different way. But Disney also knows that it is fortunate to have the resources to take a stand against the state’s retaliation.
“In America, the government cannot punish you for speaking your mind.”
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