A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his plan to disband Disney’s self-governing district Reedy Creek.
Three Orange and Osceola County residents sued DeSantis, Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, and Florida Director of the Department of Revenue Jim Zingale in the case.
According to the court filing, U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia Altonaga dismissed the lawsuit because it is a state problem and the statute won’t take effect until July 2023, among other reasons. “None of the [residents’] claims are ripe,” said Altonaga.
The Tallahassee Democrat reports that the plaintiffs in the case, which was filed Wednesday in a Miami federal courthouse, the move to quiet Disney will “end in considerable injury to taxpayers and risks the loss of thousands of jobs.”
In conclusion, the judge stated their claims were not “sufficiently mature,” nor “the issues sufficiently defined and concrete, to permit effective decision-making by the court.”
The news reports that DeSantis signed a bill dissolving Walt Disney World’s private government jurisdiction over its land.
By June 2023, the law will have abolished the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as the 55-year-old Disney government is named, as well as a few other such districts. The bill allows the districts to be reconstituted, giving them a chance to rethink their destiny.
The lawsuit stated that the rule was enacted to punish Disney when its CEO, Bob Chapek, spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as “Don’t Say Gay.”
The Wrap reported:
Ron DeSantis has been clear on his intended punishment of Disney, although he claims the elimination of special districts will not affect central Florida taxpayers
Taxpayer lawsuits such as this one are meant to check and restrict official government misconduct.
Here’s what Fox News reported:
Hawley’s “Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022” would limit the term of copyrights Congress grants businesses to 56 years and apply retrospectively.
Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted Tuesday, “No more handouts for woke corporations. Today I’m introducing legislation to strip @Disney of its special copyright protections.”’
No more handouts for woke corporations. Today I’m introducing legislation to strip @Disney of its special copyright protectionshttps://t.co/pushCxnjoO
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 10, 2022
“Leaked videos published soon after Disney came out against the Florida legislation reportedly showed internal meetings in which Disney employees plotted to inject LGBT content into children’s shows and explained how the company was helping employees medically transition themselves and their children to the opposite sex,” the report continued.
Sources: Wnd, Thewrap, Hollywoodreporter
