DeSantis-backed board will sue Disney in latest escalation

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A board backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said it will counter-sue Disney over the state’s long-running dispute for authority of the entertainment giant’s central Florida theme park.

The move further escalates the ongoing feud and comes less than a week after Disney sued DeSantis and the board in federal court, claiming that the governor retaliated against it for speaking out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, better known as “Don’t Say Gay.”

Martin Garcia, chair of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, said during a meeting Monday that Disney left it with very few options after it launched its lawsuit last week.

“Disney sued us, we have no choice now but to respond,” he said. “The district will seek justice in state court here in central Florida where both it and Disney reside and do business."

Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ongoing fight between Disney and DeSantis over control of its Florida-based theme parks pits the California-based entertainment giant against a powerful governor who is expected to run for president. DeSantis has touted his battle with Disney as a fight against “woke” companies but in recent weeks has faced growing criticism from Republicans for continuing the clash.

Most recently, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last week that the governor should “sit down and negotiate” with the company while GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on Sunday said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that DeSantis “really lost it here. He’s gone on the wrong path.”

The fight has also provided fuel for Democrats as they seek to attack DeSantis. President Joe Biden, during Saturday’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner, joked: “I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me and got to them first.”

But it’s not just national figures who are criticizing DeSantis. During Monday’s board meeting in central Florida, a local resident, Douglas Dixon, told board members that he supported DeSantis until he started the “stupid war.”

"You guys are terrible and I honestly think you should resign," Dixon said.

The lawsuit, filed in state court for Orange and Osceola counties, claims Disney rushed to stymie an "eleventh hour deal" so it could tie the hands of the new board and give itself the power back.

"These agreements reek of a backroom deal — drafted by Disney with the acquiescence a lawyer who represented both Disney and the District, set for hearing without proper notice, and hustled through a compliant Disney-controlled Board that Disney knew would not dwell long on the issue," the lawsuit reads. "But perhaps out of haste or arrogance, Disney’s deals violate basic principles of Florida constitutional, statutory, and common law."

Because Disney insists the agreement is valid, the board is seeking a "judicial declaration regarding their invalidity."

"Despite the obvious deficiencies in the one-sided deals Disney drafted for its former Board members to rubber stamp, Disney continues to insist that they are valid and enforceable against the District," the lawsuit read.

During a Monday press conference, DeSantis said that no business is above the law and Disney was usurping the will of the people by defying legislative attempts to strip it of its power.

“It is wrong for one corporation to basically corrupt the local government and run it as their own fiefdom,” DeSantis said Monday in Titusville, about an hour from Orlando. “It’s been very disappointing to watch this particular company, what they’ve done by advocating things like the sexualization of children, very close relationship with the Chinese communist party — that’s all very problematic.”

The yearlong fight started last year after Florida Republicans passed legislation that DeSantis signed into law, banning teachers from leading classroom lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation for students in kindergarten through third grade.

Disney’s former CEO, Bob Chapek, denounced the law and in response, DeSantis last year pushed the GOP-controlled Legislature to strip Disney of its self-governing status that the company has enjoyed for decades. Disney remains on of Florida’s biggest employers and has more than 70,000 employees in the state.

Through legislative moves, DeSantis appointed a new board to oversee Disney’s central Florida theme park. But Disney last February quietly signed a pact with the previous board that gave the company more authority.

The governor’s administration only learned of the new pact in March and later sought to invalidate the previous pact.