The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has called the lawsuit that the US entertainment giant The Walt Disney Company filed against him the day before as “political” and has stated that the company is “upset” at having to live under “the same rules” as “everyone else.
“I don’t think the lawsuit will succeed. I think it’s political,” DeSantis said, adding that the company is “upset” at having to live under “the same administrative rules” as “everyone else,” NBC reported. News.
DeSantis has once again stressed that the company seeks to get away with it, without being held accountable for its taxes. “That’s not what a free market is about. They’ve been treated very differently from Universal, SeaWorld and all the others,” he said.
Until February, the company had enjoyed a special tax regime since the 1960s, which implied a kind of self-government over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, on the borders of Orange and Osceola. The governor of Florida asked Congress to end these privileges.
In this way, DeSantis appointed a new board in February to replace Disney’s “special” district, which regulated both the theme park and the company’s facilities, with members close to and personally chosen by him.
The entertainment company approved with the outgoing board later to limit the powers of the new one imposed by DeSantis, who declared the previous agreement signed with his predecessors null and void, in an attempt to regain control.
After that, Disney decided to sue DeSantis and the new board, alleging that he did it to “protect” his staff and partners from a “relentless campaign” by the Government against freedom of expression, in reference to the criticisms made by the company. against the law that prohibits talking about sexual diversity in elementary schools in Florida.
