The settlement officially invalidated Disney’s previous attempts to retain district government and ended all pending litigation in Florida state court.
Since DeSantis’ plan to dissolve Disney’s autonomy prestige in 2022 was announced, many media outlets have been quick to side with the House of Mouse and predicted that DeSantis would be crushed.
Several mainstream media outlets have stated in the past that Disney will push DeSantis into the war over his autonomy status. (Reuters/Scott Audette | Marco Bello)
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In 2022, several MSNBC people called DeSantis’ resolution “bossy” and mocked the quarterback for trying to get behind the multibillion-dollar company.
“Later in the show, the Florida governor’s developing authoritarian rule and retaliatory moves opposing one of America’s largest companies, all over Disney’s crime of calling out discrimination and hate,” said MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace.
Wallace spoke with MSNBC regular guest Jason Johnson, who joked that there were “so many Disney songs” he wanted to sing “in preparation” for Wallace’s interview. “Let It Go” and “We Don’t Talk about DeSantis” were two of the Disney covers Johnson had in mind.
NBC News lead political analyst Chuck Todd and MSNBC host and former Biden 2020 crusader aide Symone Sanders-Townsend also weighed in on the controversy, with Todd opening a panel discussion in which Republicans ” “They better be careful when going after Disney. “
“Oh, my opinion is about Disney lobbyists, honey. Mine is about Disney lobbyists,” Sanders said.
Disney-owned ABC’s “The View” also criticized Florida’s governor and warned that there’s no way DeSantis can beat the company.
“Therefore, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is punishing our parent company, Disney, for opposing his so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. It revoked Disney’s special status, which could collect $2 billion from Florida taxpayers. “It opposes the GOP logo of being pro-business,” said co-host Joy Behar. “Now, can he win this culture war because he’s attacking the mouse, and the mouse is bigger than Ron DeSantis. “
During a “Morning Joe” segment in 2023, co-host Joe Scarborough said you “can’t beat Disney” and MSNBC contributor Donny Deutsch agreed.
“You’ve also said in the past, and I agree with that, that DeSantis, once the scene starts to grow, it’s going to start to wither a little bit. You can see that it doesn’t have any answers. It has no bumps. He’s fighting a fight that he can’t win and that, to me, is a precursor to his presence at the national level and it’s just a stupid, very stupid move,” Desutsch said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fell out with Disney over the parental rights in education bill, prompting DeSantis to dissolve the company’s status. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
During a “CBS Mornings” segment in 2023, co-host Gayle King praised Disney after canceling a work complex project in Florida, suggesting DeSantis’ resolve was a factor.
“Okay, let go of the mic, [Disney CEO] Bob Iger. As it turns out, he’s saying, ‘Do you need to play hardball, Governor DeSantis?Let’s go,'” King said.
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Throughout 2023, headlines were saying that DeSantis was being thwarted through Disney and that he would eventually lose his case.
“How Disney Just Beat Ron DeSantis,” Vox’s headline read. An on-screen article titled “‘Outclassed by Mickey Mouse’: DeSantis’ board of directors reveals Disney quietly stripped them of power. “Newsweek reported, “Ron DeSantis suffers a major blow in his war with Disney. “
“Disney is proving to be the enemy that arguably wouldn’t die,” Vox wrote.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin said, “As you know, hours before CFTOD took over, Disney entered into a last-minute progression agreement with the former Reedy Creek board of trustees to grant itself more powers. “and perpetual property rights. “
“The media was quick to celebrate this action as an undeniable victory. . . And, as usual, the media got it wrong,” he added.
The dispute between the two began after Disney’s complaint over Florida’s parental rights in education law, which has been derided by critics as the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, led DeSantis’ leadership to repeal the special taxing district controlled through Disney. which has given the entertainment company autonomy over its theme parks in the area.
However, following the deal, Disney and DeSantis’ team talked about the future.
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“We must end all litigation in Florida state court between Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District,” Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle told FOX Business in a statement.
“This agreement opens a new stage of constructive engagement with the district’s new leadership and serves the interests of all parties by enabling continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunities in the state,” Vahle added.
Disney agreed to cede the Central Florida Tourism Watch District to the governor-appointed state council. (Fox News)
Griffin told Fox News Digital in the statement, “We are pleased that Disney has dropped its lawsuit against the new Central Florida Tourist Surveillance District and declared its last-minute progression agreements null, void and of no effect. Going forward, we look forward to collaborating with Disney and the District to help promote economic growth, family tourism, and guilty government in Central Florida.
DeSantis is still facing a federal lawsuit from Disney alleging that the governor unfairly retaliated against the company for political reasons. However, a federal ruling dismissed the case in January and Disney agreed to keep its appeal until a new breakthrough agreement is reached with the district.
Fox Business’ Eric Revell and Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor at Fox News Digital. Se can send tips to lindsay. kornick@fox. com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.