Current:Home > Contact-usDeSantis appointees seek Disney communications about governor, laws in fight over district-LoTradeCoin
DeSantis appointees seek Disney communications about governor, laws in fight over district
View Date:2024-12-23 23:45:31
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — 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 request for documents and communications was made Thursday by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, now controlled by DeSantis appointees. It sued Disney this year over control of the private government which regulates design and construction and provides municipal services such as mosquito control and road repairs at the Florida theme park resort.
The district wants all Disney communications about DeSantis, as well as communications dealing with laws passed by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature that switched control of the district from Disney supporters to the governors’ appointees and nullified deals the company made with the Disney-controlled district before the state takeover.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly called the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was controlled by Disney allies for more than five decades until it was taken over by DeSantis appointees earlier this year. The takeover of the district came after Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. The law, dubbed by opponents as “Don’t Say Gay,” was championed by DeSantis, who currently is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Before control of the district changed hands from Disney allies to DeSantis appointees, the Disney supporters on its board signed agreements with Disney shifting control over design and construction at Disney World to the company. The new DeSantis appointees claimed the “eleventh-hour deals” neutered their powers, and the district sued the company in state court to have the contracts voided.
Disney has filed counterclaims which include asking the state court to declare the agreements valid and enforceable.
Attorneys for the governing district on Thursday also said that they planned to take depositions of Disney attorneys, planners and lobbyists. Among the topics they intend to cover is how supervisors to the old district board were selected and what kind of land transactions took place between them, the court papers said.
Disney and DeSantis and his allies also are battling in federal court, where the company has sued DeSantis, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law. DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have asked a federal judge to throw out Disney’s First Amendment lawsuit, calling it meritless. A hearing is scheduled for next month in Tallahassee.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on X, formerly known as Twitter: @MikeSchneiderAP.
veryGood! (94441)
Related
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- Rocket Lab plans to launch a Japanese satellite from the space company’s complex in New Zealand
- Oregon’s top court hears arguments in suit filed by GOP senators seeking reelection after boycott
- Raiders RB Josh Jacobs to miss game against the Chargers because of quadriceps injury
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- How Shohei Ohtani's contract compares to other unusual clauses in sports contracts
- Fentanyl-tainted gummy bears sicken 5 kids at Virginia school; couple charged in case.
- Trump loves the UFC. His campaign hopes viral videos of his appearances will help him pummel rivals
- Early Week 11 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers
- King Charles pays light-hearted tribute to comedian Barry Humphries at Sydney memorial service
Ranking
- NFL Week 10 injury report: Live updates on active, inactive players for Sunday's games
- Israel's war with Hamas rages as Biden warns Netanyahu over indiscriminate bombing in Gaza
- Family of woman who died in freezer at Chicago-area hotel agrees to $6 million settlement
- Trump loves the UFC. His campaign hopes viral videos of his appearances will help him pummel rivals
- Who is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida congressman Donald Trump picked to serve as attorney general?
- Black child, 10, sentenced to probation and a book report for urinating in public
- 'Thanks for the memories': E3 convention canceled after 25 years of gaming
- Congress departs without deal on Ukraine aid and border security, but Senate plans to work next week
Recommendation
-
A crowd of strangers brought 613 cakes and then set out to eat them
-
Xcel Energy fined $14,000 after leaks of radioactive tritium from its Monticello plant in Minnesota
-
Youngkin pledges to seek mental health legislation in honor of Irvo Otieno
-
Oprah Winfrey portrait revealed at National Portrait Gallery
-
Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
-
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs to miss game against the Chargers because of quadriceps injury
-
Oprah Winfrey's revelation about using weight-loss drugs is a game-changer. Here's why.
-
Coca-Cola recalled 2,000 Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta cases due to possible contamination