DeSantis-appointed board OKs countersuit against Disney

Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors on Monday voted unanimously to sue Disney in state court. Disney had sued the board and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday. DeSantis appointed the board of supervisors earlier this year to oversee the design and construction of 25,000 acres of Disney World. For 55 years before that, Disney had appointed its own private board of supervisors.

What are these lawsuits about? Disney’s suit alleges that DeSantis has conducted a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” against the entertainment giant for its public opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act. The state protects children in early grades from classroom indoctrination on sex and gender issues—a policy critics have called the “Don’t Say Gay” law. DeSantis has responded that Disney must play by the same rules as every other business in Florida.

Dig deeper: Listen to Myrna Brown’s conversation with Rick Foglesong on The World and Everything in It podcast about the battle for control of Disney’s Florida theme park.