Gov. DeSantis trumpets ‘good story’ of Disney defeat in new hype video with Beethoven soundtrack

The Legislative Session is barreling toward its conclusion, but Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking backward with a new video trumpeting his battle with The Walt Disney Co.

The 102-second mashup of footage begins with footage of skeptical coverage of DeSantis dismantling the long-standing Reedy Creek Improvement District, which segues into the Governor predicting Disney would lose its lawsuit against the state of Florida.

From there, the familiar strains of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” take prominence in the soundtrack, with DeSantis’ appropriately triumphalist words trumpeting the state’s position on the war with Disney being about “who governs” the state amid the institution of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which has replaced the Reedy Creek structure that stood in place for 55 years.

“This is a good story,” DeSantis said at a recent press conference trumpeting the move.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against DeSantis after Disney accused state leaders of retaliating for speaking out against a controversial Florida law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.

The Governor’s Office released a statement at the time spotlighting Winsor’s opinion, which noted that “the statute did ‘not implicate any constitutionally protected conduct’” and “courts shouldn’t look to a law’s legislative history to find an illegitimate motivation for an otherwise constitutional statute.”

The Governor downplayed Disney’s intent to appeal.

“I know they said they’re going to appeal. The reality is is they don’t have a basis for this case,” DeSantis said in Lake Buena Vista. “Clearly, the Florida Legislature has the right to reform a local government structure, one that had all these problems.”

DeSantis’ battle with Disney, as readers will recall, began when the company objected to Parental Rights in Education legislation. It cast a shadow over his recent bid for the presidency, with opponents Nikki Haley and Donald Trump launching criticisms of perceived overreach from the Governor’s Office.

What’s clear from the latest release from DeSantis’ press shop, however, is that he’s unmollified and feels vindicated by events and the friendly ruling last month in court.

One year ago, I signed legislation ending what an independent audit found to be one of the worst examples of cronyism in modern U.S. history: Reedy Creek, a local government controlled by a single company; Disney.

While so many claimed ending the cronyism would be bad for… pic.twitter.com/RMPz5Qkyy8

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 27, 2024

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Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics contributed to this report.