Disney appeals dismissal of free speech lawsuit as DeSantis says company should 'move on'

Disney is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of its free speech lawsuit over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ takeover of Walt Disney World’s governing district

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Disney on Thursday appealed a judge's dismissal of its free speech lawsuit over what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis' retaliatory takeover of Walt Disney World's governing district, as the Florida governor separately called any appeal “a mistake.”

“They should move on,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Jacksonville a day after the ruling.

Disney filed a notice of appeal over Wednesday's ruling by a federal judge in Tallahassee, saying that it would set a dangerous precedent if left unchallenged by giving states the green light to weaponize their powers to punish opposing viewpoints. A separate lawsuit over who controls the district also is still pending in state court in Orlando.

Disney had argued that legislation signed by DeSantis and passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature transferring control of the Disney World governing district from Disney supporters to DeSantis appointees was in retaliation for the company publicly opposing the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. The 2022 law banned classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades and was championed by DeSantis, who had used Disney as a punching bag in speeches on the campaign trail until he recently suspended his campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Disney supporters had run the district, which provides municipal services such as firefighting, planning and mosquito control, for more than five decades after the Legislature created it in 1967.