DeSantis is battling Disney as he is considered a leading potential contender against ex-President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The board of supervisors picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World’s operations voted Monday to sue Disney in response to the company’s recent federal lawsuit alleging a campaign of political retaliation by the governor.
The panel, which challenged the company’s long-standing self-governing status when it replaced a Disney-backed board weeks earlier, unanimously voted to authorize a lawsuit in state court.
« This district will seek justice in state court here in central Florida where both it and Disney reside and do business, » board chair Martin Garcia said at a Monday morning meeting, where the legal fight was the sole topic of business. « Yes, we’ll see justice in our own backyard. »
Disney sued DeSantis last Wednesday and the oversight panel in U.S. district court in Tallahassee, Florida. The company asked to effectively restore its control over the special tax district that has allowed it to self-govern its Orlando-area parks’ operations since the 1960s.
