Disney Says DeSantis, Allies Are ‘Weaponizing the Power of Government’

Walt Disney Co. has fired back at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies in the state legislature, saying that recent attempts by lawmakers to void the company’s land-development agreements at Walt Disney World Resort amount to little more than “weaponizing the power of government to punish private business.”

The company Monday amended its federal lawsuit against the governor and other officials, which it originally filed last month, to address House Bill 1604, a law adopted last week. That measure, which seeks to retroactively void a contract that Disney signed to lock in planning approvals to potentially expand its theme parks and hotels in Florida, escalated a year-long fight between Disney and Florida Republicans.