Ron DeSantis Calls Disney Lawsuit ‘Political’
Ron DeSantis has been waging a political vendetta against Disney since the corporation came out against the anti-LGBTQ legislation he signed into law last year. He’s moved to strip Disney of its special tax zone, weaponized the Florida legislature to take aim at the key economic driver, and even threatened to build a prison next to Disney World.
Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging the governor has “weaponize[d] government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”
DeSantis said on Thursday that it’s Disney, not him, playing politics. “I don’t think the suit has merit, I think it’s political,” he said during a press conference in Israel, part of the governor’s current world tour in anticipation of his 2024 presidential campaign.
DeSantis Communications Director Taryn Fenske said in a statement on Wednesday that the lawsuit was part of Disney’s “hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law,” citing the Reedy Creek Improvement District created for Disney World. DeSantis tried to take control of the district, which provides the company with special tax status, and install his cronies on its board, but was thwarted when Disney used a bizarre legal clause to block the move. DeSantis’ board passed a resolution to nullify the clause on Wednesday.
DeSantis’ move to cripple his state’s biggest tourist attraction, because Disney released a statement supporting LGBTQ rights, would seem to run counter to perhaps the most basic principle of Republican politics, which is protecting free enterprise. It’s a strange hill for a Republican presidential — not to mention someone who wants the best for the state they govern — hopeful to die on, and everyone from Donald Trump to Nikki Haley has mocked DeSantis for the foolhardy vendetta.
“Disney’s next move will be the announcement that no more money will be invested in Florida because of the Governor — In fact, they could even announce a slow withdrawal or sale of certain properties, or the whole thing. Watch! That would be a killer,” the former president wrote on Truth Social earlier this month.
NBC News reported on Wednesday that DeSantis is going to launch a presidential exploratory committee sometime in May.