A federal judge has dismissed the Walt Disney Co.’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ruling that state legislators had a right to regain control of the district that governs the amusement park.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in his decision Wednesday that Disney lacked standing in its First Amendment lawsuit against the Republican governor and the secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Disney filed a lawsuit last April claiming DeSantis organized a “government retaliation.” The entertainment giant accused him of punishing the company for exercising its right to freedom of speech when he signed legislation that transferred control of Disney World’s self-governing district – which had operated independently from the state – giving control back to the state of Florida.
As CBN News reported, the law eliminated the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a 55-year-old Disney government, as well as a handful of other similar districts by June 2023.
Additionally, it created a new special district called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District forcing Disney to cancel plans for a $1 billion campus in Florida.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District was a private government controlled by Disney World and was set up by the state
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