The Walt Disney Co. filed a lawsuit Thursday over the new board of supervisors picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World Resort.
In a 55-page filing, Disney said it was seeking damages and a court order over accusations that the board breached its contract by not fulfilling previously agreed-to development contracts.
The document additionally details 12 affirmative defenses against the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, before its reorganization.
It comes after DeSantis reconfigured the Disney World board in February to allow the Florida governor to appoint its five members, a right previously reserved to Disney.
The board voted to nullify multiple contracts approved by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, claiming that the company snuck the contracts through to undermine its power.
That dispute is at the heart of the latest actions by Disney and is also being played out in a separate case in Orange County's 9th Judicial Circuit Court.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has also taken steps to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Those are the same policies that Disney has alleged in another lawsuit are the primary reasons why Florida is targeting the company.
Disney further argued in that suit that DeSantis' crusade against the company was political retaliation resulting from its opposition to the state's Parental Rights in Education law in 2022.
The law received mainstream media attention at the time for limiting teachers' ability to discuss gender and sexual identity with students from kindergarten through third grade.
The Florida governor, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has frequently defended the education law and other efforts to crack down on DEI initiatives.
"We will restore merit and the individual as the central criteria for economic advancement," DeSantis emphasized on the campaign trail last month.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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