Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, claiming the prospective Republican presidential candidate waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against the company.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in northern Florida, alleges DeSantis “orchestrated at every step” a scheme to punish Disney
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the state’s largest employer, over its political views and to damage its business.
Disney filed its lawsuit the same day a board of supervisors, picked by DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World’s operations, voted to revoke a controversial development agreement Disney made before the new board’s appointment.
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The suit called the action the “latest strike” in an escalating feud with DeSantis. It said the development contracts “laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs.”
“The government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional,” Disney said in the complaint.
DeSantis’s office did not respond to an email message seeking comment on Disney’s lawsuit.
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