Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) criticized Disney's claims of a First Amendment violation in their lawsuit against him and other Florida officials, arguing it is "ridiculous" to say it protects "corporate welfare."
The Florida governor spoke about the state's back-and-forth struggle with the entertainment giant in an interview with the American Conservative published on Monday, arguing the legislative action to restructure Disney's central Florida district was not a violation of protected speech.
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"They didn’t do anything to touch Disney’s free speech rights. Did they pull ABC’s broadcast license? Did they say Disney can’t speak out about anything? Of course not. They took a government that had been authorized by the state of Florida that, yes, had been basically corrupted by Disney’s influence and run by Disney, and they put accountability on it,” DeSantis said to the outlet.
“I mean, the idea you have a First Amendment right to corporate welfare or having a local government that you basically control with no accountability is ridiculous,” he added.
Disney filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in April arguing DeSantis and other Sunshine State officials had pursued a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials."
The company alleges in the lawsuit that the state violated Disney's First Amendment right to free speech, the contract and takings clauses in the U.S. Constitution, and the company's 14th Amendment right to due process.
The lawsuit, which was amended last week, alleges the state embarked on a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" and claims DeSantis is behind the "punishment" for "protected speech."
"A targeted campaign of government retaliation, orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech, now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights," Disney alleges in the lawsuit.
DeSantis also said in the interview with the outlet that institutions such as Disney are being held hostage by people who "go berserk if they don’t get their way.
“Sometimes you just need an executive to come in and tell them to pound sand,” DeSantis said to the outlet. “Sorry!”
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Recent polling has shown a plurality of independents feel both Disney and DeSantis have acted inappropriately during their feud but that more of them, 42%, side with Disney over DeSantis, 32%, in the court battle.
The feud between DeSantis and the company, which led to Disney's central Florida district being restructured, stemmed from Disney denouncing the Parental Rights in Education Act, which DeSantis signed into law last year. Disney had previously maintained full autonomy over the district since its creation in 1967.