LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The latest escalation in the ongoing feud between Walt Disney World and Governor Ron DeSantis came Monday, when an oversight board of DeSantis-appointees voted to countersue Disney in response to Disney's own recent lawsuit. The dueling lawsuits are just one of several ways the two parties have attempted to exert control over the special tourism district which contains Florida's largest theme park.
The dispute began when Disney issued a public statement against the Parental Rights in Education bill, alleging that it was discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community. Florida GOP legislators responded by saying the company had embraced 'woke ideology' and said they'd dissolve Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District in response. They eventually resolved to replace Disney's self-governance board members with DeSantis's own picks.
The two lawsuits were not filed at the same level; while Disney sued DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board in a Tallahassee federal court, the CFTOB has sued at the state level. They're seeking a ruling from the 9th Judicial Circuit in Central Florida that would return legal control over the district to them.
Shortly before the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board took control, their predecessors, the Reedy Creek Improvement District board, voted to strip most of the board's power in an agreement that would last in near-perpetuity. The DeSantis board has already voted to declare that action null and void, but has now also moved to have a judicial authority formalize their sentiment.
Also relevant in these proceedings is the selection of judges to oversee the two lawsuits. Judge Mark Walker, the judge assigned Disney's lawsuit, already dealt a major blow to DeSantis's political agenda when he struck down much of the Governor's 'Stop W.O.K.E. Act', a policy attempting to ban racial diversity and inclusion training in the workplace.
