1 year, 7 months ago

DeSantis asks that judge be disqualified from Disney’s free speech lawsuit

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking that a federal judge be disqualified from the First Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the Florida governor and his appointees, claiming the jurist’s prior statements in other cases have raised questions about his impartiality on the state’s efforts to take over Disney World’s governing body. The lawsuit alleges that DeSantis and his appointees violated the company’s right to free speech, as well as the contracts clause, by taking over the special governing district that previously had been controlled by Disney supporters after Disney opposed Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” The Republican governor’s motion was filed a day after Disney announced that it was scrapping plans to build a new campus in central Florida and relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development, amid an ongoing feud with DeSantis. The feud started after Disney, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed the state concerning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades that critics called “Don’t Say Gay.” As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World’s self-governing district through legislation passed by lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors. Disney filed the First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and the DeSantis-appointed board last month in federal court in Tallahassee, and it landed in Walker’s court.

Florida Board Free Speech Disney Lawsuit Republican Desantis Filed Walker First Amendment State Court Orlando disqualified desantis judge florida disney free asks lawsuit board disneys state court filed speech desantisappointed district

History of this topic

6 months, 1 week ago

With deal done, Disney withdraws lawsuit, ending last conflict with DeSantis and his appointees

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney asked a federal appellate court to dismiss its lawsuit against Florida Gov. The request came as little surprise because the federal lawsuit’s future was contingent on whether a development agreement could be reached between Disney and the DeSantis appointees to the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District that governs Disney World, according to a …

6 months, 1 week ago

Disney, Florida's DeSantis end spat with deal on 15-year expansion plan

Hindustan Times

June 12 - Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have put an end to their feud with a deal that allows the entertainment giant to develop the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando for the next 15 years. Disney, Florida's DeSantis end spat with deal on 15-year expansion plan DeSantis and Disney, one of Florida's biggest employers, had been embroiled …

6 months, 1 week ago

DeSantis appointees bury the hatchet with Disney by approving new development deal

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees on Wednesday gave final approval to an agreement that buries the hatchet between Disney and the governing district for Walt Disney World, which the Florida governor took over after the company two years ago publicly opposed a state law critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” The five DeSantis-appointed board members to the Central Florida …

6 months, 1 week ago

Florida tourism board approves Walt Disney World expansion plans, ending Disney-DeSantis feud

LA Times

A special Florida district that governs Walt Disney World Resort has voted unanimously to approve the company’s plans for expansion, officially ending the years-long feud between the House of Mouse and Florida Gov. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted Wednesday in favor of Walt Disney Co.’s proposal to expand its theme park complex in Orlando, including an $8-billion investment …

6 months, 1 week ago

Disney is once again giving money to anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans who passed the "Don't Say Gay" law

Salon

The Walt Disney Corporation, which runs a theme park fiefdom in Orlando and wields outsized clout in Florida politics, is once again donating money to state politicians after a two-year hiatus following the fallout over "Don't Say Gay" legislation. Disney has now shelled out $87,000 in political donations, according to the most recent campaign filings, most of the money going …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Disney set to invest up to $17B in Florida parks now that fight with DeSantis appointees has ended

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Months after Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees agreed to end a protracted legal fight, the two sides are set to approve an agreement that could result in the company investing up to $17 billion into its Florida resort and opens the door to a fifth major theme park at Walt Disney World. The five DeSantis-appointed supervisors …

8 months, 2 weeks ago

Disney allowed to pause its federal lawsuit against Florida governor as part of settlement deal

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — An appellate court on Monday granted Disney’s request for a two-month pause in a federal lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees to Walt Disney World’s governing district after the two sides reached a settlement on separate litigation in state court. Disney’s request last Friday to the federal appellate court was motivated by last month’s …

8 months, 3 weeks ago

Settlement reached in lawsuit between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ allies

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney reached a settlement agreement Wednesday in a state court fight over how Walt Disney World is developed in the future following the takeover of the theme park resort’s government by the Florida governor. In a meeting, the DeSantis-appointed members of the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved …

8 months, 4 weeks ago

Disney and DeSantis-appointed Florida oversight board settle lawsuit

LA Times

Walt Disney Co. has settled a lawsuit with the Gov. The entity, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and populated by DeSantis allies, but in the final hours of the previous board’s tenure, Disney executed an agreement that would essentially allow the new district powers over only the most basic …

9 months ago

Attorneys try to stop DeSantis appointees from giving depositions in Disney lawsuit

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorneys for the Walt Disney World governing district taken over last year by Gov. District attorneys on Monday filed a motion for a protective order that would stop the DeSantis-appointed board members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District from having to give videotaped depositions to Disney attorneys. The district had been controlled by Disney supporters before …

9 months, 1 week ago

Shakeup continues at Disney district a year after takeover by DeSantis appointees

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — The shakeup of Walt Disney World’s governing district more than a year after it was taken over by Gov. Martin Garcia’s departure as chairman of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is coming a week after the district’s administrator, Glen Gilzean, left to accept an appointment by DeSantis as interim elections supervisor in Orange County, the home …

9 months, 1 week ago

Fight between Disney and DeSantis appointees over district control gets a July court hearing

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — The court fight between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees over control of Walt Disney World’s government won’t be decided until at least this summer, provided the two sides don’t reach a settlement beforehand. Disney claims the Republican governor and his appointees took over the district, which provides government services like planning and firefighting at Disney …

10 months ago

DeSantis calls takeover of Disney government a ‘success’ despite worker exodus, litigation

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Almost a year after state lawmakers passed a law giving Florida’s governor control over Walt Disney World’s governing district, Gov. DeSantis’ visit to Disney World came three weeks after a federal judge in Tallahassee dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against the governor and his appointees to the board of the governing district. Disney had argued that the …

10 months ago

DeSantis calls takeover of Disney government a 'success' despite worker exodus, litigation

The Independent

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10 months, 2 weeks ago

Disney wants trade secrets kept confidential in lawsuit with DeSantis appointees

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney wants to keep confidential any proprietary information or trade secrets that comes out of its state court fight with Gov. But legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by DeSantis transferred control of the district’s board from Disney supporters to DeSantis appointees last year. Before control of the district changed hands from Disney allies to …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Disney appeals dismissal of free speech lawsuit as DeSantis says company should ‘move on’

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney on Thursday appealed a judge’s dismissal of its free speech lawsuit over what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ retaliatory takeover of Walt Disney World’s governing district, as the Florida governor separately called any appeal “a mistake.” “They were wrong and we were right,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Jacksonville a day after the …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Column: DeSantis notches a courthouse win against Disney, thanks to a Trumpian right-wing judge

LA Times

Ron DeSantis, whose “anti-woke” campaign took aim at Walt Disney Co., just won a court victory against the company. It targets the Walt Disney Company.” In his campaign autobiography, “The Courage to Be Free,” DeSantis called Disney’s position on the Don’t Say Gay law “a textbook example of when a corporation should stay out of politics.” He added, “Disney. clearly …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Judge throws out Disney's lawsuit claiming DeSantis retaliated against Hollywood giant for criticizing his 'Don't Say Gay' law

Daily Mail

A federal judge has dismissed Disney's lawsuit accusing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of retaliation against the company for criticizing state limits on classroom discussion of sexuality. The dispute began after Disney last year criticized Florida's classroom discussion ban on gender and sexuality, dubbed the 'Don't say gay' law by opponents. A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Walt Disney's lawsuit against …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal judge dismisses Disney’s free speech lawsuit against DeSantis

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, dealing a setback to the company’s hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World after it was taken over by the governor’s appointees. The judge also said Disney’s claim against DeSantis’ appointees to the Disney World governing district …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Judge tosses Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Ron DeSantis; Disney appeals

LA Times

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Walt Disney Co.’s 1st Amendment lawsuit against Florida Gov. Disney had argued that DeSantis and state Republicans had waged a concerted campaign to punish Disney for exercising its speech rights to criticize Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. The judge agreed, determining that Disney “lacks standing” to sue DeSantis and that its claims against the governor’s renamed …

11 months ago

Disney asks for delay in DeSantis appointees’ lawsuit, as worker describes a distracted district

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney this week requested a second delay in a state court case involving its legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees over who controls Walt Disney World’s governing district, as the company accused them and the governor’s office of stonewalling requests for documents that are part of the litigation. DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature took control …

11 months, 4 weeks ago

Disney says in lawsuit that DeSantis-appointed government is failing to release public records

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney has filed a lawsuit claiming that the oversight government for Walt Disney World, which was taken over by appointees of Gov. Disney said in the lawsuit filed Friday that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, often referred to as CFTOD, has been so slow in fulfilling its public records duties that it has failed to respond …

1 year ago

DeSantis appointees accuse Disney district predecessors of cronyism; Disney calls them revisionist

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to Walt Disney World’s governing district released a series of reports Wednesday justifying their takeover and accusing their Disney-controlled predecessors of being a part of “the most egregious exhibition of corporate cronyism in modern American history.” The reports commissioned by the Florida governor’s appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, or CFTOD, …

1 year, 1 month ago

DeSantis appointees seek Disney communications about governor, laws in fight over district

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ board appointees are seeking communications between Disney and local media, as well as documents related to the company’s position on Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, as part of a state court fight over control of the district that governs Walt Disney World. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly called the Reedy …

1 year, 1 month ago

DeSantis appointees seek Disney communications about governor, laws in fight over district

LA Times

Minnie and Mickey Mouse perform for guests during a musical show July 14 in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Friday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ board appointees are seeking communications between Walt Disney Co. and local media, as well as documents related to the company’s position on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, as part …

1 year, 1 month ago

Morale is down and cronyism up after DeSantis takeover of Disney World government, ex-employees say

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Morale and trust within the Walt Disney World government has deteriorated since allies of Florida Gov. An environmental biologist who departed the district in September after 35 years said the DeSantis allies on the board had “negatively changed my experience with top leadership, the work culture, trust, and given me a good reason to retire.” An accountant …

1 year, 1 month ago

Disney warns that if DeSantis wins lawsuit, others will be punished for ‘disfavored’ views

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wins a federal lawsuit in which Disney claims its free speech rights were violated by the Republican leader, the company won’t be the last entity to be punished over supporting a “disfavored viewpoint,” Disney said in court papers on Monday. The Disney lawsuit says DeSantis unconstitutionally revamped and took over Walt Disney …

1 year, 1 month ago

Disney says DeSantis-appointed district is dragging feet in providing documents for lawsuit

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Walt Disney World’s governing district made up of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees is dragging its feet in providing requested documents to Disney in a lawsuit over who has design and construction powers over the company’s sprawling theme park resort in central Florida, Disney said in court papers. Disney on Thursday accused the Central Florida Tourism Oversight …

1 year, 2 months ago

DeSantis allies ask Florida judge to throw out Disney’s counterclaims in lawsuit

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Agreements that Disney made with the governing district for Walt Disney World before it was taken over by appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weren’t legally valid, and the company’s counterclaims against the district should be dismissed, the governing body said in court papers filed this week. The governing district now controlled by supporters of the Republican …

1 year, 2 months ago

Disney, DeSantis legal fights ratchet up as company demands documents from Florida governor

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — The legal fights between Disney and Gov. The Florida governor asked that the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against him be tossed from federal court, and Disney demanded emails, texts and other communications from the governor’s office in a separate state court lawsuit originally brought by DeSantis appointees of Walt Disney World’s governing district. The confrontation started last …

1 year, 3 months ago

Disney wants to narrow the scope of its lawsuit against DeSantis to free speech claim

Associated Press

Disney wants to narrow the scope of its federal lawsuit against Gov. The agreements shifted control of design and construction at the theme park resort from the new DeSantis appointees on the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to Disney. “Disney faces concrete, imminent, and ongoing injury as a result of CFTOD’s new powers and composition, which are …

1 year, 4 months ago

DeSantis says he’s ‘moved on’ from Disney district fight as the company doubles down

LA Times

Ron DeSantis is trying to move on from his fraught battle with Walt Disney Co. Disney on Thursday filed counterclaims in Florida court against DeSantis’ hand-selected board that governs the area formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, alleging breach of contract and violation of the free speech clause in the state’s constitution. DeSantis and allies moved to strip …

1 year, 4 months ago

DeSantis’ appointees ask judge to rule against Disney without need for trial

Associated Press

A Florida judge should rule without trial against Disney as the company fights Gov. Ron DeSantis’ takeover of a board that oversees Walt Disney World, the Republican governor’s appointees said in a Tuesday court filing. The case is one of two lawsuits stemming from the takeover, which was retaliation for Disney’s public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation championed …

1 year, 4 months ago

Deal over Florida’s redistricting plan could lead to restoration of Black-dominant district

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Voting rights groups that sued state officials over a Florida redistricting plan championed by Gov. The agreement reached late last week opens the possibility that the seat will be restored to a district dominated by Black voters, depending on how a state judge rules and whether the judge’s decision survives rounds of appeals all the way to …

1 year, 4 months ago

DeSantis urges Disney to drop lawsuit amid bitter feud with theme park

Raw Story

In an interview with CNBC that's set to air later Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Disney CEO Bob Iger should drop his lawsuit against the state. DeSantis and Disney have been locked in a bitter feud since Disney publicly criticized some of the governor's policies, particularly the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill that limits discussion of sexual orientation in …

1 year, 4 months ago

DeSantis’ retaliation against Disney hurts Florida, former governors and lawmakers say

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Saying Gov. Ron DeSantis has followed the autocratic examples of governments in Russia and China, a group of mostly Republican former high-level government officials has called the Florida governor’s takeover of Disney World’s governing district “severely damaging to the political, social, and economic fabric of the State.” The group of former governors, U.S. House members and presidential …

1 year, 4 months ago

Group: DeSantis win in Disney lawsuit could embolden actions against journalists

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — A legal advocacy group for journalists wants to get involved in Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Gov. The lawsuit claims the Florida governor violated the company’s free speech rights by taking control over the district in retaliation for Disney’s public opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The committee said that the impact of a DeSantis …

1 year, 4 months ago

Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Disney’s efforts to neutralize governing district takeover

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — A judge in Florida on Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Gov. The judge in state court in Orlando denied Disney’s motion in the lawsuit that says the company wrongly stripped appointees of powers over design and construction at Disney World when it made agreements with predecessors, who were supporters. Attorneys for Disney had argued …

1 year, 4 months ago

Disney accuses Ron DeSantis of violating its constitutional rights in ongoing legal feud

Hindustan Times

Disney slammed Florida Gov. The board’s chairman called it a “waste of money.” A yearlong conflict ignited by a Disney lawsuit The “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which restricts what schools can teach about LGBTQ issues, sparked national outrage and opposition from more than 150 major companies, including the Human Rights Campaign. The 44-year-old governor fired back in a fundraising email, …

1 year, 4 months ago

DeSantis appointees reach deal with Disney World’s firefighters, capping years of negotiations

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — After years of contentious negotiations, the board of Walt Disney World’s governing district now made up of Gov. “We feel this is a fair, generous and fiscally responsible agreement.” The old contract expired more than four years ago, and the firefighters declared themselves at an impasse last year with the district’s board when it was still controlled …

1 year, 5 months ago

Disney asks a judge to toss a lawsuit from board of DeSantis appointees

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney asked a Florida judge on Friday to toss out a lawsuit against the company’s efforts to neutralize a takeover of Disney World’s governing district by Gov. Attorneys for Disney argued before Circuit Judge Margaret Schreiber that any decision in state court would be moot since the Republican-controlled Legislature already has passed a law voiding agreements that …

1 year, 5 months ago

DeSantis proposes Disney trial schedule that puts start date in 2025, after elections

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorneys for Gov. In a Tallahassee federal court filing Tuesday, attorneys for the Florida governor, who is seeking the Republican nomination, and his appointees to a board that governs Disney World outlined a proposed schedule that requests an Aug. 4, 2025, trial date. Disney claims in its lawsuit that its free speech rights were violated by the …

1 year, 5 months ago

DeSantis pushes for Disney lawsuit trial to be delayed until after 2024 election

Raw Story

Ron DeSantis' legal team has asked a federal judge to delay a trial related to the state's fight with Disney for more than two years – well after the 2024 election, NBC News reported. DeSantis' attorneys argued that Disney's lawsuit is illegitimate since the governor doesn't directly enforce laws and he's immune from being sued in regards to legislation he …

1 year, 5 months ago

DeSantis, appointees to Disney World governing board ask that Disney lawsuit be dismissed

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorneys for Gov. Attorneys for DeSantis, the secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the DeSantis appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District filed motions Monday asking that Disney’s lawsuit in federal court in Tallahassee either be dismissed, put on hold or that they be dropped as defendants. In their motion, the DeSantis’ appointees …

1 year, 5 months ago

Ron DeSantis claims immunity from Disney lawsuit in motion to dismiss political retaliation case

The Independent

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Attorneys for Ron DeSantis have filed a motion in federal …

1 year, 5 months ago

Ron DeSantis tells federal judge to DISMISS Disney's lawsuit over Reedy Creek

Daily Mail

Ron DeSantis' lawyers claimed in a Monday filing that the Florida governor is immune from Walt Disney Co.'s lawsuit against him after losing control of their special governed district Reedy Creek. Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis' lawyers filed a motion asking a federal judge to dismiss Disney's lawsuit against the Florida governor Disney Co. immediately moved to sue DeSantis over no …

1 year, 6 months ago

Protesters fly Nazi and DeSantis 2024 flags outside Disney World entrance

The Independent

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Protesters with Nazi flags and signs supporting Florida Governor Ron …

1 year, 6 months ago

Federal judge recuses himself from Disney v DeSantis. A Trump-appointed judge will take his place

The Independent

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Lawyers for the DeSantis administration claimed that Judge Walker’s comments referencing Disney in unrelated …

1 year, 6 months ago

DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse

The Independent

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Now, the company and allies of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis are suing one another, …

1 year, 7 months ago

Why is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis feuding with Disney?

Al Jazeera

The Republican leader continues his combative stance against company that criticised an anti-LGBTQ law in Florida. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been embroiled in a bitter tussle with Walt Disney Co that began last year when the media company criticised a state bill on sexual identity and has spread to oversight of municipal services at its parks. DeSantis responded by …

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2 weeks, 1 day ago