Disney sues Ron DeSantis over theme park takeover

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Disney Sues Ron Desantis Over Theme Park Takeover
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Photo: Associated Press
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By Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press

Disney has sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the Republican’s takeover of its theme park district.

The entertainment giant alleges the governor has waged a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company opposed a law critics call “Don’t Say Gay”.

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The suit was filed in Tallahassee minutes after a Disney World oversight board appointed by Mr DeSantis voted to void a deal that placed theme park design and construction decisions in the company’s hands.


Disney DeSantis
A statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse at Walt Disney World (John Raoux/AP)

It is the latest conflict in an ongoing feud between Mr DeSantis, a Republican expected to run for president, and Disney, a powerful political player and major tourism driver in Florida.

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The dispute with Disney has drawn significant criticism from the governor’s White House rivals and business leaders, who view it as an extraordinary rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism.

The fight began last year after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed a state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call “Don’t Say Gay”.

As punishment, Mr DeSantis took over Disney World’s self-governing district and appointed a new board of supervisors that would oversee municipal services in the sprawling theme parks.

But before the new board came in, the company pushed though an 11th-hour agreement that stripped the new supervisors of much of their authority.

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The DeSantis board on Wednesday said Disney’s move to retain control over their property was effectively unlawful and performed without proper public notice.

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