By SKYLER SWISHER Orlando Sentinel/TNS
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legal team wants the trial date for a high-stakes battle with Disney to be in August 2025, well after the presidential election.

Disney’s lawyers have another idea: They want to go to trial on July 15, 2024, the same day as Republicans gather in Milwaukee to formally select their party’s next presidential nominee.

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The two sides’ proposals are outlined in a report filed Tuesday in federal court. It’ll be up to a judge to set the timetable.

The suggestions are a routine part of federal lawsuits, but they offer some potential insight into behind-the-scenes political calculations, said Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University.

“I have no doubt that DeSantis would prefer not to have to deal with a trial in the midst of the Republican presidential convention. … And I also have no doubt that Disney, knowing the convention’s date, picked July 2024 to make DeSantis squirm,” he said.

Lawyers for DeSantis and his Disney oversight board are requesting a trial date on Aug. 4, 2025, well after voters head to the polls on Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024.

Jeremy Redfern, a DeSantis spokesman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing.

DeSantis has made his quarrel with Disney a centerpiece of his bid for president. He devoted a chapter in his book “The Courage to be Free” to Disney.

But David Jolly, a political analyst critical of the governor, said he thinks DeSantis has overplayed his hand. The issue won’t translate well with general election voters, and his Republican primary challengers have an avenue to attack him for meddling with business, he said.

“For a governor that built his campaign on a slogan of never back down, he sure is running away from this issue,” said Jolly, a former Tampa Bay-area congressman.