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Disney v. DeSantis was a lawsuit brought against Florida governor Ron DeSantis by the Parks, Experiences and Products division of The Walt Disney Company in 2023 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. The plaintiff claims that DeSantis, with Florida Department of Economic Opportunity acting secretary Meredith Ivey and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board, violated the company's First Amendment rights by using government power to exact political retaliation. The dispute began when Disney officials expressed disapproval for the proposed Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which has been labeled by reporters, protesters, and counterprotesters as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. After DeSantis responded angrily, the Florida State Legislature repealed the Reedy Creek Improvement Act that had established a special governance and taxing district around Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Critics of Disney argue that the company had been given too much self-governing power. Critics of DeSantis argue that he made Florida's government harmful to doing business with gay people, undermined a business's right to free speech, and is hurting one of the state's largest employers and taxpayers. Among his critics are other Republican leaders, including then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and fellow presidential candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. A federal judge ruled in favor of DeSantis on January 31, 2024. A spokesperson for Disney said the company was undeterred by the ruling and intended to press forward with their case. The next day, Disney filed an appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. On March 27, 2024, Disney settled with DeSantis, putting the appeal on hold to negotiate a new development agreement with Florida. Background Walt Disney World and the Reedy Creek Improvement District In October 1971, the entertainment resort complex Walt Disney World was opened in Bay Lake, Florida. Walt Disney World is governed by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which includes part of Orange and Osceola County. Reedy Creek was created in 1967 by the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, signed by then-Florida governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. (R), with the purpose being for Walt Disney to build a community (i.e. a town, to be known as EPCOT), with an emphasis on the zoning issues brothers Walt and Roy Disney faced when Disneyland opened in 1955. Ron DeSantis In January 2019, Ron DeSantis was elected governor of Florida. DeSantis signed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act in March 2022, prohibiting public schools in Florida from discussing or having classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Before its passage, the act spurred a political debate within The Walt Disney Company, whose then-CEO, Bob Chapek, stated that he would not take a stance against or for the bill. Although Chapek later apologized for his comments and paused political donations in the State while promising to do more, including using all company resources to force Florida to repeal the bill, a group of employees organized a series of walkouts at The Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank, California. As Disney heir Charlee Corra came out as transgender and condemned the law, conservative activists and pundits began protesting Disney, with activist Christopher Rufo claiming that conservatives are "waging [a] moral war against Disney". The release of a video of Disney Television Animation producer Latoya Raveneau discussing Disney's willingness to incorporate queer storytelling further intensified the feud; DeSantis voiced his support for repealing the act that created the Reedy Creek Improvement District.On April 22, 2022, DeSantis signed a bill repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Rather than seeking to dissolve Reedy Creek, DeSantis eyed seizing it, reserving that taxpayers would not be responsible for its debt, estimated to be US$1 billion, or Walt Disney World's community services. DeSantis gained control of the district on February 27, 2023. Before the Florida House of Representatives voted on transferring control of the district to DeSantis, Reedy Creek board members voted on a royal lives clause invoking King Charles III's last descendant in order to circumvent a rule against perpetuities to prevent the governor from using Disney's intellectual property: This Declaration shall continue in effect until twenty one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England living as of the date of this Declaration. Lawsuit On April 26, 2023, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sued DeSantis, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity acting secretary Meredith Ivey, and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board, accusing DeSantis of violating the company's First Amendment rights by utilizing political power for "government retaliation" purposes. The lawsuit states that DeSantis' actions "jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights" and highlighted its value to the state of Florida; Disney is one of the largest employers in the state, provided US$1.1 billion in state and local taxes, and helps drive tourism. The lawsuit was filed by Daniel Petrocelli on Disney's behalf, a lawyer based in Los Angeles whose services were requested by former president Donald Trump in a 2016 class action lawsuit against the now-defunct Trump University. The case was assigned to United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida chief judge Mark E. Walker, appointed by former president Barack Obama, who handed a victory to six University of Florida professors in a First Amendment case in 2022. Disney v. DeSantis was filed minutes after the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board nullified two agreements granting Disney unfettered control over the expansion of Walt Disney World at the behest of general counsel Daniel Langley. U.S. magistrate judge Martin Fitzpatrick recused himself from the case due to a conflict of interest.On May 1, 2023, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board voted to countersue Disney.On June 1, 2023, Chief Judge Walker ruled against a motion by DeSantis to disqualify him due to previous comments in unrelated cases. However, Walker recused himself on the same day, after learning that a relative owned stock in Disney. The case was reassigned to Judge Allen C. Winsor, appointed by former president Donald Trump, who previously dismissed a case against the state involving the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act that is in the middle of the Disney v. DeSantis lawsuit. Judge Winsor was also previously the Solicitor General of Florida.On June 26, 2023 attorneys for DeSantis filed a motion to dismiss Disney's lawsuit claiming that the Governor and Florida legislators have "legislative immunity." T.... Discover the Martin Fitzpatrick popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Martin Fitzpatrick books.

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  • Bon Mots, Wisecracks, and Gags synopsis, comments

    Bon Mots, Wisecracks, and Gags

    Robert E. Drennan & Heywood Hale Broun

    “Stop looking at the world through rosecolored bifocals.” “His mind is so open, the wind whistles through it.” “You can’t teach an old dogma new tricks.” Ever wonder where these sa...

  • Backing into the Spotlight synopsis, comments

    Backing into the Spotlight

    Michael Whitehall

    'Backing into the Spotlight is a hilarious and an unashamedly nonPC memoir . . . Now in his eighth decade, Whitehall is a fine raconteur, gloriously unreconstructed and still deep...

  • People State New York v. Martin J. Fitzpatrick synopsis, comments

    People State New York v. Martin J. Fitzpatrick

    Supreme Court of New York

    [34 A.D.2d 730 Page 730] Memorandum: The Oneida County Grand Jury returned an indictment accusing petitioner of murder in four counts. Petitioner made an application in...

  • People State New York v. Martin J. Fitzpatrick synopsis, comments

    People State New York v. Martin J. Fitzpatrick

    Court of Appeals of New York

    On the night of September 8, 1969, at about a quarter after nine, the defendant held up Paul DiGeorge, an attendant at a gas station in Canastota, New York, and fled with his walle...