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Florida wins case against Disney in federal court

Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, U.S. District Court Judge Allen Winsor issued an opinion dismissing the federal case Disney brought against Governor DeSantis. This ruling finally ends Disney’s futile attempts to control its own special government and receive benefits not available to other businesses throughout the state. To read the opinion from Judge Winsor, click here

In the opinion, Judge Winsor cited numerous errors in Disney’s arguments, including the fact that Disney is “not the district’s only landowner, and other landowners within the district are affected by the same laws —” “the statute did ‘not implicate any constitutionally protected conduct'” and was therefore constitutional; and “courts shouldn’t look to a law’s legislative history to find an illegitimate motivation for an otherwise constitutional statute.”

Below is a statement from Jeremy Redfern, Governor Ron DeSantis’ Press Secretary:

“As stated by Governor DeSantis when he signed HB 9-B, the Corporate Kingdom is over. The days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone. The federal court’s decision made it clear that Governor DeSantis was correct: Disney is still just one of many corporations in the state, and they do not have a right to their own special government. In short — as long predicted, case dismissed.”

      • Good.

        Trump appointee sides with the state punishing a business because the CEO criticized the politicians. Gee, what could go wrong with Tallahassee snowflakes screwing with the market. The “free state of Florida” doesn’t mind attacking free enterprise.

        • The next CEO of Disney is likely to ban homosexuals from visiting the park and from working at Disney. Will you be celebrating the free market then Jazzman?

          • That’s against the law Doug, though you probably wish it weren’t. Disney had not broken any laws prior to or since the Governor’s snowflake routine. It’s not the only time he has launched politically motivated attacks against businesses in the state, though this one was against the one that created and sustains Orlando as a now world class destination, instead of the OJ capital of central Florida. He dictated that cruise lines could not require safe practices during Covid – “Oh yeah honey, let’s get on a close quarters boat with a thousand other people without masks or vaccines!”.

            He also has an order out affecting me. I am a builder and we do remodels as well as new construction. It is against the law for me to insist that my employees who enter and work for sometimes long hours in people’s houses wear a mask or be vaccinated. I didn’t say fire them – I wouldn’t do that as long as I have outside work or work in unoccupied buildings – but this clown who has ALWAYS PULLED DOWN GOVERNMENT CHECKS AND NEVER HAD A REAL JOB IN HIS LIFE is telling me to force home owners to let unsafe people work in their house, or go out of business – he doesn’t care.

            Free Florida my butt!

  • Good news! Disney is not the same magical place I enjoyed as a child. I won’t be taking any grandchildren there unless that company becomes family-friendly again.

    What a mess the recent leaders at Disney have made of a once-great place!

    • That’s not up to the government to fix Mom. If you don’t like it don’t go there and don’t buy their products.

        • Go back where you came from. We don’t use government force to punish businesses or people who criticize the governor here. Or at least we didn’t until Ronnie

  • Basically, Disney’s argument is that once given special tax treatment, those who gave it, namely, the Florida legislature, can never take it away.

    Seems like a dumb lawsuit…which is why it was tossed out.

    • No they didn’t argue that and the only reason it was taken was because snowflake Ronnie, the guy in the elevator disco boots, can’t allow anyone to criticize him. You support that?

      There were no allegations or controversy about Disney’s special district – The Villages operates on one also – before Ronnie got his feelings hurt.

      • You’re being emotional. Go read the lawsuit. And it wasn’t Ronnie who changed the rules…it was the Florida legislature..and they had and still have major public support for that piece of legislation.

        The state (corruptly) gave Disney special status decades ago and it never should have taken this long to rescind that status.

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