Walt Disney Company files an updated lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Yesterday the Walt Disney Company has filed an amended lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the Florida state legislature moved to void the 30-year theme park development agreement recently created by the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Related – Federal Judge over Disney’s Lawsuit Against Gov. DeSantis Recuses Himself
Here is a look at the amended lawsuit from the Walt Disney Company:
For more than half a century, Disney has made an immeasurable impact on Florida and its economy, establishing Central Florida as a top global tourist destination and attracting tens of millions of visitors to the State each year. People and families from every corner of the globe have traveled to Walt Disney World because of the unrivaled guest experience it provides and the deep
emotional connection that generations of fans have with Disney’s timeless stories and characters.
A targeted campaign of government retaliation—orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech—now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.
The State’s actions over the last two weeks are the latest strikes. At the Governor’s bidding, the State’s oversight board has purported to “void” publicly noticed and duly agreed development contracts, which had laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs. Days later, the State Legislature enacted and Governor DeSantis signed legislation rendering these contracts immediately void and unenforceable. These government actions were patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional. But the Governor and his allies have made clear they do not care and will not stop. The Governor recently declared that his team would not only “void the development agreement”—just as the State has now done, twice—but also planned “to look at things like taxes on the hotels,” “tolls on the roads,” “developing some of the property that the district owns” with “more amusement parks,” and even putting a “state prison” next to Walt Disney World. “Who knows? I just think the possibilities are endless,” he said.
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 weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.
You can read the full lawsuit here.
The Walt Disney Company is suing for “declaratory and injunctive relief against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The amended complaint comes two days before Disney’s next earnings call, scheduled for May 10th.
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