Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill To Void Walt Disney World’s Development Agreement With Special District

If you figured the war between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis was going to take a breather for the weekend, think again.

A spokesman for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis downplayed the company’s announcement that it was canceling a planned project that would have moved thousands of employees from California to the Sunshine State.

Just over a week ago, Bob Iger rhetorically asked the adversarial  Gov. Ron DeSantis if Florida really wanted Disney’s considerable business and tax revenue, or not. Now, without mentioning the would-be presidential contender nor his attacks on the company, the Mouse House has pulled some of that business and taxes revenues from the Sunshine State.

About four years after it was announced by then chairman of Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Bob Chapek and about a year after it officially opened, Disney revealed today that it would be closing the pricey (for guests, anyway) Star Wars themed Galactic Starcruiser experience in September. The news came on the same morning that Parks and Resorts boss Josh D’Amaro sent a note to Disney Parks, Experiences & Products employees confirming that Disney is abandoning its plan to move around 2,000 staffers and their families to central Florida from California.

As many of you know, the company had decided to build a new Disney campus in Lake Nona and many Cast Members, Imagineers, and Employees were asked to commit to making a move to Florida. While some were excited about the new campus, I know that this decision and the circumstances surrounding it have been difficult for others.Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus.

Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend came up short in a ruling from a Florida judge late Wednesday as she not only sought to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement but also aimed to sue Woods for $30 million in public court. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger ruled that Erica Herman's attempt to claim sexual harassment against Woods in an attempt to nullify the NDA was vague, lacking «factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment.»Woods' legal team asked Metzger to throw out the case as the NDA signed by both parties requires disputes to be settled in private.

Tom Sandoval’s relationship with Raquel Leviss wasn’t the only indiscretion exposed on the season finale of Vanderpump Rules.

Rita Ferro, Disney’s ad sales and partnerships chief, urged media buyers at the company’s New York upfront Tuesday to “lean into all aspects of diversity” with their marketing commitments.

The Walt Disney Co. is asking a judge to dismiss or stay a state lawsuit brought by the special district that oversees its Florida property, calling the litigation “moot” given recent actions taken by the state.

A school teacher is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education after she showed the class the Disney animated movie Strange World.

TikTok video posted on Saturday. Barbee says the film — which is Disney’s first movie with an openly gay character — aligned with students’ Earth science lesson. Barbee stated that every parent previously signed off on their children being shown PG films in class.

McKinley Franklin editor Jenna Barbee, a fifth-grade Florida teacher, is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education after showing her class the animated Disney movie “Strange World,” which features an openly gay character. In a video posted to TikTok, Barbee said that she is being investigated for indoctrination after showing the film. “Our students had standardized testing all morning,” Barbee said in the video. “I thought it would be a great time to give them a brain break by showing a movie that related to what we were learning about in school…I chose this movie because it relates to our curriculum.” Prior to showing the film, Barbee acquired signed parent permission slips from students. She was then reported to the Florida Department of Education for indoctrination by Shannon Rodriguez, a board member of the Hernando County School District Board and parent of a student in Barbee’s class. The complaint related to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that has limited conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. 

Pensacola News Journal.Under the law, which goes into effect on July 1, any medical provider, including doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, pharmacists, mental health professionals, or lab technicians, as well as nursing home workers and hospital administrators, may refuse to provide care to patients if doing so would violate their conscience. Insurance companies also enjoy the right to deny care based on any moral, ethical, or religious objections.Health care professionals are also empowered to refuse to conduct research, update medical records, conduct testing or blood draws, or even make referrals if they believe doing so would enable a patient to make decisions or take actions that violate their provider’s personal moral, ethical, or religious beliefs.The Florida law also allows health care employers to discriminate in hiring and prevents medical boards from disciplining providers who deliberately spread misinformation about certain treatments, procedures, or diseases, such as a doctor who opposes COVID-19 vaccinations or believes that antiretrovirals are ineffective at treating HIV.While the newly signed law says patients can’t be discriminated against or denied care based on a host of personal characteristics, such as race, color, religion or national origin, it contains no such protections for sexual orientation or gender identity.According to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that focuses on LGBTQ-related policies, prior to the Florida law’s passage, about 1 in 8 LGBTQ Americans lived in a state where they could be denied medical care and are barred from bringing lawsuits against providers who refuse treatment.

William Earl Disney CEO Bob Iger criticized Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s political moves in Florida on the company’s May 10 Q2 earnings call. The business-political feud was brought up as a result of a shareholder asking about the parks in Florida while there are political battles with the governor. “Regarding Florida, I got a few things I want to say about that bill,” he said. “First of all, if the case that we filed last month, made our position and the facts very clear, and that’s really that this is about one thing and one thing only and that’s retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in us taking that position we are merely exercising our right to free speech. Also, this is not about special privileges or a level playing field or Disney in any way using its leverage around the state of Florida.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The war between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis does not appear to be calming down any time soon — as both sides have traded lawsuits in a struggle for control over the company’s Orlando theme parks. In the latest move, the DeSantis-backed board that oversees Disney World, EPCOT and the other parks will take up a proposal on Wednesday to establish a code enforcement system. According to a staff report, the proposal would allow code enforcement officers to impose civil penalties of up to $500 per infraction per day — the maximum allowed by state law. The board would also appoint a special magistrate who could hear appeals of citations.

The Walt Disney Co. filed an amended lawsuit against Florida governor Ron DeSantis after the state legislature moved to void a 30-year theme park development agreement.

"Happy, Sad, Confused" podcast."I was like, 'That's f***** up,'" Bill recalled thinking. "So now, I just kind of blanket, like, I'm not signing any of this s***."Not only do people approach the "Barry" star for autographs, but many apparently feel obligated to do their impressions of him to him. "Oh yeah, that happens," he said.

Disney’s seemingly successful efforts to outfox Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ power grab to control the area around Disney World are “not even worth the paper they were printed on,” according to a countersuit filed Monday by the GOP presidential aspirant’s replacement board.