Disney Files Damaging New Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis

Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing more legal action from Disney.

Related: Disney World Hikes Prices to Yet Another Record High Today

The Walt Disney Company has filed a new lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis as the fallout between the two parties continues. This lawsuit states that the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) unlawfully withheld public records. Disney is asking for the district to provide the requested documents immediately in the new lawsuit.

This lawsuit was filed earlier this year on May 11, 2023. The CFTOD acknowledged the request but did not provide Disney with the records for almost four months throughout 2023. The documents were withheld without any explanation, according to Disney, with a legal notice issued in August. Several more weeks followed without any documents, forcing Disney to take further action. Disney eventually filed a letter of concern regarding the documents in September.

The new lawsuit calls the delay “so extreme that CFTOD still has yet to fully respond to a public records request Disney submitted seven months ago, in May of this year.”

This new lawsuit follows several other lawsuits filed against Ron DeSantis and his home state of Florida. These legal issues date back to early 2022 when The Walt Disney Company publicly spoke out against the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, a piece of legislation that you may know as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Disney, which was under the leadership of former CEO Bob Chapek, issued a public statement against the bill, effectively making them one of the biggest political targets of conservatives from that point on. Gov. DeSantis and other right-leaning figures began attacking the company, declaring it had “gone woke” and that fans should boycott the company altogether. Many conservative politicians made threats against Disney, claiming they were working on ways to strip Disney of its privileges. The biggest threat came from DeSantis and involved the removal of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), a special ruling set up decades ago that allowed the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, to act as its own form of limited government.

DeSantis threatened to kick Disney out of this special ruling and ownership of the entire district and was eventually successful in doing so. Disney lost the RCID in 2023, and a new board was appointed by DeSantis. The RCID was renamed to the CFTOD, with Florida taking over control of the district.

As a result, The Walt Disney Company issued a lawsuit against DeSantis himself as well as the state of Florida, citing multiple issues, including 2nd amendment violations. Disney and DeSantis officially met in court this December for the first hearing, with DeSantis’ team attempting to get the original lawsuit dismissed. With another lawsuit now filed, political and legal pressure is mounting on the conservative governor at an exponential rate.

What are your thoughts about Disney’s battle with Gov. DeSantis?