The public records lawsuit is asking a judge to review any documents that the district claims are exempt from being released, declare that the district is violating state public records law and order the district to release the documents that Disney has requested.

In retaliation, DeSantis and Republican legislators took over the district Disney had controlled for more than five decades and installed five board members loyal to the governor.Īround 50 out of about 370 employees have left the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District since it was taken over in February, raising concerns that decades of institutional knowledge are departing with them, along with a reputation for a well-run government.Disney, DeSantis and the DeSantis appointees already are battling for control of the government in two pending lawsuits in federal and state court.

The law was championed by DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The feud between DeSantis and Disney started last year after the company publicly opposed the state’s so-called don’t say gay law, which bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. The new lawsuit claims that the district is failing to follow public records laws in other ways, such as allowing the DeSantis-appointed board members to use personal email addresses and texts for district business without a process for making sure they are preserved and failing to make sure board members don’t auto-delete messages dealing with district business. “The Court should grant Disney relief.”Īn email was sent to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District seeking comment. “CFTOD has prevented Disney from discovering the actions of its government through public records requests, in violation of Florida law,” said the lawsuit filed in state court in Orlando.

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