News Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

[flynnibus]

That’s a fair framing if you’re evaluating from a strictly structural standpoint Yes, Disney no longer controls the board, and yes, they negotiated toward a new normal rather than scorched-earth resistance. But to say they “lost the PR battle”? I strongly disagree.

Who came to defend Disney?
Who lined up to call out DeSantis' action?
Who lined up to point out the cabel action in the Legislature?
Who used Disney as an example of what can happen?

I'm not talking about who wrote stories to cover the news.. I'm talking about who put their name on the line to call out the injustice that was happening? How many people did you hear regurgitating the false propoganda about taxes? How many people did you hear thinking this RCID thing was some long running scam that was time to go?

I'm talking about who the gen pop saw as in the wrong... most did not flock to defend Disney... they saw it as some corporate scam that finally was being taken down..

Disney was pretty much the target of the most direct, blatant, outright cheered political driven retribution I can think of in any recent memory... and the gen pop thinks DeSantis was eliminating corporate benefits and DEI non-sense.

That's the PR battle Disney lost.

 

[mkt]

Who came to defend Disney?
Who lined up to call out DeSantis' action?
Who lined up to point out the cabel action in the Legislature?
Who used Disney as an example of what can happen?

I'm not talking about who wrote stories to cover the news.. I'm talking about who put their name on the line to call out the injustice that was happening? How many people did you hear regurgitating the false propoganda about taxes? How many people did you hear thinking this RCID thing was some long running scam that was time to go?

I'm talking about who the gen pop saw as in the wrong... most did not flock to defend Disney... they saw it as some corporate scam that finally was being taken down..

Disney was pretty much the target of the most direct, blatant, outright cheered political driven retribution I can think of in any recent memory... and the gen pop thinks DeSantis was eliminating corporate benefits and DEI non-sense.

That's the PR battle Disney lost.

You’re right that there wasn’t a massive public rally to defend Disney. At least not in the way we often see with political figures or causes. But that doesn’t mean they lost the PR battle. It just means they played it differently.

They didn’t need cheering crowds. They let the state’s actions speak for themselves. The Lake Nona cancellation - whether intentional or not - ended up being the loudest statement. Thousands of high-paying jobs. Gone. Local business groups noticed. Real estate noticed. Economists noticed. That stuck.

Meanwhile, the “win” Florida claimed was largely symbolic - swapping one board for another - while Disney kept building, kept expanding, and retained the infrastructure and bond authority they needed. The machine never stopped.

And let’s not forget: the only only people visibly waving flags on the property line during this entire episode? They were on the state’s side, and those flags bore symbols we all agree have no place in a civilized society.

So no - Disney didn’t lose the PR war. They just didn’t fight it with soundbites. They let time and economic impact do the talking.

 

[Chi84]

Who came to defend Disney?
Who lined up to call out DeSantis' action?
Who lined up to point out the cabel action in the Legislature?
Who used Disney as an example of what can happen?

I'm not talking about who wrote stories to cover the news.. I'm talking about who put their name on the line to call out the injustice that was happening? How many people did you hear regurgitating the false propoganda about taxes? How many people did you hear thinking this RCID thing was some long running scam that was time to go?

I'm talking about who the gen pop saw as in the wrong... most did not flock to defend Disney... they saw it as some corporate scam that finally was being taken down..

Disney was pretty much the target of the most direct, blatant, outright cheered political driven retribution I can think of in any recent memory... and the gen pop thinks DeSantis was eliminating corporate benefits and DEI non-sense.

That's the PR battle Disney lost.

There's a battle being lost, but it's not really a PR battle and it only tangentially involves Disney.

 

[mikejs78]

My gut says that beginning in 2027 there will be legislation that slowly picks away at CFTOD and gradually returns control to Disney. It won't happen all at once - but I bet it will happen.

 

[Chi84]

My gut says that beginning in 2027 there will be legislation that slowly picks away at CFTOD and gradually returns control to Disney. It won't happen all at once - but I bet it will happen.

The State was happy with the way things were. For many, many years.

 

[JoeCamel]

The State was happy with the way things were. For many, many years.

Saved them a bunch of cash

 

[Bullseye1967]

Just to clarify, I think there may be some confusion between the federal and state cases.

The federal lawsuit was about retaliation. Disney argued that the state dissolved Reedy Creek and replaced it with a state-controlled board as punishment for Disney’s protected speech. That is a First Amendment issue. It was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can be brought back if similar retaliation happens again.

The state case was about the development agreements Disney signed before the board was replaced. That was a separate legal fight over contracts and local governance. It was settled last year.

What Disney preserved in the federal case is not about zoning powers or board turnover. It is about motive. If the new board starts blocking projects and the reasoning lines up with past political pressure, that gives Disney grounds to revive the case. It is not about what the board is allowed to do. It is about why they are doing it.

I am not sure of the actual filing and I will admit that I am too lazy to look through all the filings you posted, Thank you, but I think it was a claim on FL law and not Federal. The Sol on "free speech" in FL is 3 years, but it is not limited in USC,

I am not confused.

The federal case resuming would be instigated by something related to how the district is exercising its power, a new local issue. They would be triggering a new state-level fight about something that would have the most near-term impact on development. A federal court would be limited in its ability to intervene in that new state-level case and might even let the state-level case play out first.

And if this is right, it was what I quoted above. The clock is ticking. A federal court can not take action on a state law case if SoL has expired.

 

[mikejs78]

And if this is right, it was what I quoted above. The clock is ticking. A federal court can not take action on a state law case if SoL has expired.

The federal case was not predicated on FL free speech law, it was based around 1st amendment jurisprudence and the US Constitution contract clause. The state case was based around state law but not speech state law.

 

[mkt]

I am not sure of the actual filing and I will admit that I am too lazy to look through all the filings you posted, Thank you, but I think it was a claim on FL law and not Federal. The Sol on "free speech" in FL is 3 years, but it is not limited in USC,

And if this is right, it was what I quoted above. The clock is ticking. A federal court can not take action on a state law case if SoL has expired.

The free speech claim was federal, the land use claim was state.