Disney World celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2022.
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Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging the Republican governor has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against the company.
The federal lawsuit alleges that a campaign to punish Disney over its political views was “orchestrated at every step” by DeSantis and now threatens the company’s business.
The move dramatically escalates the drawn-out feud between DeSantis, who is expected to become a top Republican contender for the 2024 presidential race, and Disney, which is among Florida’s largest employers.
The lawsuit was filed on the same day that a board of supervisors, picked by DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World’s operations, moved to undo a development deal that it says Disney struck to thwart its power.
The panel unanimously voted to declare “void and unenforceable” that development deal, which was approved shortly before DeSantis replaced the Disney-approved board with his preferred supervisors.
The lawsuit called that action the “latest strike,” saying the development contracts “laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs.”
“The government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional,” Disney alleged in the civil complaint in U.S. District Court in northern Florida.
The board also voted for a resolution to effectively ban Disney’s Orlando-area parks from imposing future coronavirus-related restrictions.
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