DeSantis’ Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to sue Disney

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted this morning to sue The Walt Disney Company in state court in response to Disney’s federal lawsuit against the group and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis charging Disney was the victim of retaliatory behavior by the governor.

“Since Disney sued us – yes, we didn’t sue Disney, Disney sued us – we have no choice now but to respond,” said Martin Garcia, chairman of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board of supervisors. “Yes, we’ll seek justice in our own backyard.”

The vote to sue Disney took place during a special district meeting to address last week’s lawsuit against the board.

Last year, Disney came out against an education law dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that banned public school teachers in Florida from holding classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity. Disney called for the legislation to be repealed and challenged. DeSantis then went on the offensive, “I think they crossed the line,” he said during a press conference in March 2022 at the state Capitol. “We’re going to make sure we’re fighting back when people are threatening our parents and threatening our kids.”

DeSantis fought back stating it was time to get rid of the Reedy Creek District in an attempt to get back at Disney. The Reedy Creek District was created when Disney decided to move to Florida. It was formed in 1967 by a special Act of the Florida Legislature, the purpose of which is to support and administer certain aspects of the economic development and tourism within District boundaries. The district, run by Disney appointees is responsible for development, fire safety, utilities and roads. 

DeSantis had the legislature change the agreement, placing his own people on the five-member board. He has most recently threatened that actions such as placing toll roads, and selling properties, or developing the land to include a state park or a prison (his people later said he joked about that) were on the table as part of the change the new board would review.

In the lawsuit, Disney cites “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.”

Disney’s suit, which quoted DeSantis’ book, charges the governor violated the company’s First Amendment rights by retaliating against Disney and wanting to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Disney is asking a federal judge to void the takeover. The oversight board’s lawsuit

The Disney lawsuit against the governor, the board and its five members asks a judge to void the governor’s takeover of the theme park district previously controlled by Disney for 55 years. The oversight board’s state lawsuit seeks to maintain its control of the new board.