A panel appointed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filed a lawsuit against Disney on Monday in response to the entertainment giant’s complaint against the conservative, a new twist in the heated legal spat between them.
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The American giant, with its Disney World amusement park in Orlando, is a major employer in the region and was recently sanctioned by Mr. DeSantis for its forward-thinking positions.
The rising right-wing extremist, whose alleged presidential ambitions are the subject of all rumours, ended the company’s special status in his state in February. A “targeted revenge,” according to Disney’s lawsuits.
Since the 1960s, the company has enjoyed this special status with many advantages – administrative simplifications, site self-administration, cheap loans, etc.
She had drawn the governor’s ire last year by denouncing a bill that would restrict the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida elementary schools.
Following Disney’s removal of special status, a tourism regulator appointed by Mr. DeSantis has authorized the termination of a recent commercial agreement with the park, which employs 75,000 people and attracts 50 million visitors annually.
The lawsuit, filed by the council on Monday, seeks to retain control of the county where the amusement park is located and nullifies other agreements with Disney.
Ron DeSantis has made the fight against “wokism” one of his main battlefields: He accuses a group of “elites” of imposing their progressive ideology on a society that rejects them, and has vowed to conquer his country.
The 44-year-old curator carries his fight against Disney as a banner, both in his speeches and in his recent autobiography, in which the subject takes up a whole chapter.