Disney vs. DeSantis Has Already Cost Florida Taxpayers MILLIONS

The Disney vs. DeSantis case has been long drawn out and has seemingly gone on for many months. What began as a disagreement over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (officially called the Parental Rights in Education Act)—after which Florida Gov Ron DeSantis threatened and then acted upon dissolving Disney’s self-governing status and replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District board with this own Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board, has escalated into a tiresome battle with the Walt Disney Company (more specifically, the Walt Disney World Resort) filing a suit against the Florida Governor. The board has also retaliated by filing a suit in turn.

Read More: DeSantis-Picked District Board Sues Disney World

One of the main issues that has come up frequently has been how much this legal fight will cost. Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted previously that no matter what happens, Disney would be the one paying for the legal battle. However, it’s turned out quite differently. It appears Florida taxpayers’ money has funded DeSantis’s fight so far, and the actual lawsuit hasn’t even gone to court yet.

Related: Disney vs. DeSantis: Did Governor DeSantis Send the National Guard to Block Entrances to Disney World?

As reported by the Washington Press, “the people of Florida…likely didn’t plan on $6 million dollars being spent on attorneys to defend the governor for his bad behavior, especially when the fund for his litigation budget last year was only about a quarter of that at $1.6 million, and he had asked for only $4 million before the Disney suit.”

This comes in addition to the other worry of the billion-dollar debt held by the Reedy Creek tax district, which could “spread out and cause increased costs for neighboring districts.”

This battle has droned on and on and has become one of the most talked about happenings when it comes to Disney and the GOP presidential hopeful, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. It’s certainly one that will define both parties’ legacies in the years and decades to come.