{"id":2164185,"date":"2024-01-31T16:21:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T21:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-dismisses-disneys-lawsuit-against-florida-over-losing-private-control-of-government\/"},"modified":"2024-01-31T16:24:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T21:24:14","slug":"court-dismisses-disneys-lawsuit-against-florida-over-losing-private-control-of-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-dismisses-disneys-lawsuit-against-florida-over-losing-private-control-of-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Court dismisses Disney&#8217;s lawsuit against Florida over loss of private government control"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourt-dismisses-disneys-lawsuit-against-florida-over-losing-private-control-of-government%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2164185&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A federal \u200djudge dismissed the Walt Disney\u200c Company\u2019s lawsuit\u2063 against Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida officials on \u200dWednesday, ruling the company lacked standing\u200b and\u200d evidence to \u200dbring its suit.<\/p>\n<p>Writing for \u200cthe\u200c U.S. District Court for the \u200cNorthern District of \u2064Florida, Judge Allen Winsor\u2064 ruled that Disney has \u2063no legal basis for suing DeSantis \u200dand\u2062 Florida\u2019s secretary of commerce in response to the\u2062 state\u2019s restructuring of\u200c the Reedy Creek \u200cImprovement District into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight\u2062 District (CFTOD). The \u200cformer allowed Disney to essentially \u2062be its own local government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn short, Disney \u200dlacks standing to sue\u2064 the \u2063Governor or the\u2063 Secretary,\u201d Winsor wrote, dismissing the \u2063company\u2019s lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>The dispute between DeSantis and Disney began \u2062nearly two years ago, after the latter launched\u2062 a \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appointed-disney-board-axes-illegal-and-unamerican-dei-initiatives\/\" title=\"DeSantis-appointed Disney board scraps 'illegal' and 'unamerican' DEI efforts.\">grossly dishonest attack<\/a> against Florida Republicans\u200d for passing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-with-the-help-of-moms-for-liberty-south-carolina-pre-files-parental-rights-bill\/\" title=\"Exclusive\u2014\u00a0With the Help of Moms for Liberty, South Carolina Pre-Files Parental Rights Bill\">parental rights bill<\/a>. The bill \u2062prevents educators from instructing children in kindergarten through third\u200c grade on sexual orientation and so<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-approves-gender-equality-act-in-224-206-vote\/\" title=\"House approves gender \u2018Equality Act\u2019 in 224-206 vote\">-called \u201cgender identity<\/a>.\u201d Bending the knee to Democrats and their media allies \u2014 who \u200bmaliciously labeled the law as the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d law \u2014 then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek parroted leftist\u200b lies \u200bthat the law \u201ccould be used to target [LGBT] kids and families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chapek also baselessly claimed the company would be \u201creassessing [its] approach to advocacy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-claims-company-is-a-force-for-inclusion-but-doesnt-want-it-become-a-political-football\/\" title=\"Disney CEO Bob Chapek Claims Company Is \u201cA Force for Inclusion\u201d but Doesn\u2019t Want It Become a \u201cPolitical Football\u201d\">including political giving<\/a> in Florida and \u200dbeyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis and Florida Republicans passed legislation shortly\u200d thereafter that stripped Disney\u2063 of \u2063its \u200cself-oversight authority within the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The\u200d Florida governor later announced five new \u2064appointees to the district\u2019s board in February\u200c 2023 after state legislators approved legislation renaming the jurisdiction \u2062to the \u200dCentral Florida Tourism Oversight District.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2063 an attempt to out-maneuver \u2064DeSantis, then-Reedy Creek officials, as The Federalist\u2019s Tristan Justice reported, passed an \u201c11th-hour resolution to hand Disney maximum authority over the company\u2019s 27,000 acres in\u200d central Florida,\u201d which effectively left\u200d DeSantis\u2019 CFTOD-appointees \u201cpowerless to govern Disney in \u200ctheir own state.\u201d DeSantis ordered an investigation into the matter in April 2023 after Disney reportedly \u201cskipped key steps when amending its developmental agreement, rendering the resolution null and void.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was \u200cFlorida\u2019s launch of the investigation that prompted Disney to file a federal lawsuit alleging a \u201ctargeted campaign of government\u2062 retaliation\u201d\u2064 by DeSantis and state officials against the company for its opposition\u200d to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-new-hampshire-governor-criticizes-republican-establishment-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas\/\" title=\"NH Governor criticizes GOP establishment in Texas.\">parental rights \u200cbill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Citing a prior court ruling, Winsor \u2064determined \u2064that Disney presented no evidence \u200bto \u200cjustify its claims\u200d that Florida\u2019s actions were retaliatory and violated its First Amendment rights to free speech. Disney\u2019s \u201cclaims against the CFTOD Defendants fail on the merits because\u200b \u2018when a statute is facially constitutional, a plaintiff cannot bring a free-speech challenge by claiming that the lawmakers who passed it acted\u200c with a constitutionally impermissible purpose,&#8217;\u201d Winsor \u2063wrote.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis Press\u2064 Secretary Jeremy Redfern celebrated Wednesday\u2019s ruling in a tweet, reaffirming prior remarks from the Florida governor that \u201cthe Corporate Kingdom is over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone,\u201d Redfern wrote. \u201cThe federal court\u2019s decision made it clear that Governor DeSantis was correct: Disney is \u200bstill just one of many corporations in the\u2064 state,\u2064 and they do not have a right\u2062 to\u2064 their own special government.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is \u2064a staff writer for The\u200c Federalist \u2064and a graduate of the University \u200dof Mary Washington. He previously served as a \u2063state\u200c content writer \u200bfor Convention\u200c of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What were the arguments\u200c used by Judge\u2064 Winsor \u2064to dismiss Disney&#8217;s \u200blawsuit and state that the \u200bcompany lacked standing and evidence?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  E CFTOD that prompted Disney to file \u200bits lawsuit against DeSantis and Florida officials, claiming that the state&#8217;s restructuring of the Reedy Creek Improvement District was unconstitutional and \u200bviolated the \u2062company&#8217;s rights.<\/p>\n<p>However, Judge Winsor \u2062disagreed with Disney&#8217;s arguments and dismissed the lawsuit, stating that the company \u200dlacked standing\u200c and evidence to support its \u2062claims. He emphasized that Disney has no legal basis\u200c to\u2063 sue \u200bthe \u2064Governor or\u200b the Secretary \u200dof Commerce.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062dispute between DeSantis and Disney originated from a \u200cdisagreement over a\u2064 parental rights bill \u2062passed by Florida Republicans. Disney\u200d criticized the law, falsely\u2064 claiming that it could be used to target LGBT children and families. This led \u2064to \u200dbacklash from DeSantis and other Republicans, who then passed \u2064legislation to strip Disney of its self-oversight authority \u200dwithin the Reedy Creek Improvement District.<\/p>\n<p>In response, Disney attempted to maintain its authority by passing a resolution granting itself maximum \u200dauthority over\u2064 its 27,000 acres in central Florida. \u2063However, \u200bDeSantis launched an investigation\u200b into this matter\u2062 and \u200ddeemed the resolution null and void.<\/p>\n<p>The launch of\u2063 the CFTOD \u2062by\u2064 Florida prompted\u2063 Disney to file \u2063its lawsuit, \u200dbut \u2062the court ultimately\u200d ruled in favor of the\u200b state. This decision reaffirms\u200b the government&#8217;s authority over \u2062Disney and \u2063upholds the legality of\u2064 the state&#8217;s restructuring of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.<\/p>\n<p>This ruling has significant implications for Disney&#8217;s operations \u200bin \u200dFlorida. It reinforces the state&#8217;s oversight\u2062 and governance of the company&#8217;s activities, preventing Disney from essentially acting as its own\u2063 local government. It also sets a precedent for other \u2064states that may be considering similar measures \u2064to regulate\u2063 large corporations within their jurisdictions.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, \u2062the dismissal of Disney&#8217;s lawsuit \u2063against DeSantis and Florida officials highlights the limitations of the company&#8217;s legal\u200b standing\u200c and underscores\u200c the importance of government \u2064authority in regulating\u2062 corporate activities. The ruling serves as a reminder that no entity, regardless \u2064of its size or influence, is above the law and\u200c that the government\u2063 has the \u2064power to \u200cenforce regulations\u200b and \u2063ensure the public interest is protected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida officials. The judge stated that Disney lacked standing and evidence to support their lawsuit. The ruling was made by Judge Allen Winsor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Disney&#8217;s legal basis for suing DeSantis and Florida officials was deemed nonexistent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2164186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DeSantis.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2164185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DeSantis.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2164185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2164186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2164185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2164185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2164185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}