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

[ohioguy]

The big question: Will Disney stiff Orange and Osceola counties with the $1 billion in debt that, with the removal of the special district, they no longer have to pay? Legislators, as usual, did not think this through. This is what happens when emotions and cultural revenge rule over sanity and logic.

 

[GhostHost1000]

This is simply right wing vindictiveness that is rife in American politics. If you don't agree then that's up to you, but, remember that this only happened when Disney spoke out against this bill, not before.

And it happens both ways unfortunately…it’s the divisive world we live in now where selfishness and the “I’m always right and you aren’t” mentality is now normal, especially on the news networks and news websites (and I use the term news loosely)

Regardless, Disney really should have kept quiet and focused on their business. If they can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen ya know and I love Disney but I’m afraid how public they’ve been about certain things and issues regardless of their position is hurting more than helping.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Completely agree. Disney is not going to try and burn through all of its community goodwill and start piling debt and increased taxes on local residents, however justified they may be in trying to allow the natural consequences of this legislation to unfold.

The problem is not necessarily Disney but the state. There are limits on how much an individual county can act, and even more if the two work together. Orange County has not been a supporter of the governor which means the chances of the state trying to interfere are high. Something that largely keeps the status quo isn’t a victory for the state.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

The problem is not necessarily Disney but the state. There are limits on how much an individual county can act, and even more if the two work together. Orange County has not been a supporter of the governor which means the chances of the state trying to interfere are high. Something that largely keeps the status quo isn’t a victory for the state.

I don't really know, but might the state not be happy to have their political victory and then allow Disney and Orange County to quietly repair the damage between themselves to result in a more-or-less status quo arrangement? By then, attention will have moved on and the political victory is in the bank.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

But it's a made-up cultural issue that impacts very, very few.

It impacts every single parent, parents actually care about it, and Disney's primary customer base is parents.

 

[Tha Realest]

As we work through the permutations of this bill, it seems one of the biggest impacts is the permitting process.

Since Disney has cancelled so much, maybe the only thing this affects in the short term is the proposed Poly DVC tower!

 

[lordsigma]

Conservatives have babies at a rate something like 50% higher than progressives, and Woke stuff is unpopular even among Democrats.

While I dont want to get into a political debate I will say simply this. I’m not a liberal or woke by any stretch - and I think the left certainly has made their contributions to the culture wars. I also have a lot of mixed feelings about the core issue of DeSantis’s bill. There are overzealous people on the left that feel if you are not a culture warrior you are a racist or transphobic etc. And we should be able to have these conversations without people being called homophobic or transphobic. But on the other hand - merely acknowledging in a very rated G way that while most people love people of the opposite gender some don’t is not even close to being a “groomer” or a pedophile which is where the right goes overboard. Like most issues finding a middle ground to being inclusive while not exposing young children to content best left until they reach high school and some cases college age through adult conversations between parents, educators, and school boards is the best path - that’s very hard to do in this hyper polarized political system we have hence where we are. I mostly blame left and right wing talking heads for the disfunction.

As for Disney I would certainly prefer they not commented on this issue - however with the backlash from their employees they would still be in media hot water if they hadn’t said anything to stay in DeSantis’s good graces - they made a bet that continuing to say nothing may hurt business more - whether they are right or not remains to be seen. But it’s still free speech. I have mixed feelings about DeSantis’s parenting bill - but to conclude retaliation against Disney for free speech through government action I find very disturbing whether the action is ultimately legal on paper or not. Certainly they reap what they sow as far as the public and markets - but governments should not be punishing citizens for free speech.

 

[Patcheslee]

The pain in the *** is not adhering to the building codes or drawing plans that adhere to the building codes. The pain in the *** is waiting for the permits to be approved. That is the primary service that RCID provided to Disney; fasttrack permit approval. If they have to go through the same process every other company in the county has to go through, progress will grind to a halt.

I run a non-profit in huge city that owns and manages a four acre park open to the public. It's basically grass, tennis courts and a parking lot. I just spent two years waiting for the city to approve our permit for resurfacing the parking lot asphalt. Then, when it was approved (after two years), we went back and said, "You know, we have more money now, can we just have the permit approved to surface the new lot with paving stones that will look nicer?" and the city responded by saying we'd have to start the permit approval process all over again.

This is for a single 10 car parking lot. If Disney has to go through this for everything that changes at the resort, it will crush them. They know this. That is why management is silent right now.

Wonder if they could start a fast track style permit fee. Pay an extra $X get response in Y number of days.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

This probably won't be a popular point to raise here, but I think this whole issue gives some context for why Disney may have at one point explored selling the parks and charging some kind of licensing fee.

Having these huge physical assets that can't be moved makes the company vulnerable not just to natural phenomena like pandemics and natural disasters, but also political instability. If Disney didn't own WDW, none of this would likely be an issue for the company. It also goes to show you can't assume that the political climate can't suddenly change anywhere, including within the United States.

DeSantis ultimately has Disney over a barrel here as they can't exactly relocate WDW and WDW provides a very juicy target for political theatre as this whole turn of events has shown.

 

[CinematicFusion]

You mean Wal Mart?

Anyway, it's more strategic than that. Disney is a major MAJOR employer of LGBTQ+ people in Florida, offering them full benefits long before gay marriage was legal.

In times of massive staff shortages, Disney cannot afford to have walkouts and resignations at the parks.

This is Disney standing up for its CMs because it has no choice.

 

[durangojim]

If Disney can show that the bill is retaliatory, then it is absolutely illegal. Just like if you spoke against a bill and the gvmt decided to punish you, it would illegal. It would violate your 1st Amendment rights.

This brings up a a question that I have. If someone or something like a corporation does something that causes the government to scrutinize that thing and then either pass a law that negatively affects the first party is it only “illegal” if the government says “we’re doing this to retaliate for X”?
I have heard at various points over the past couple decades that Florida has looked at modifying the RCID deal so if they had passed the bill 2 years ago would it have been fine? And if so how then does the process violate 1A?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don't really know, but might the state not be happy to have their political victory and then allow Disney and Orange County to quietly repair the damage between themselves to result in a more-or-less status quo arrangement? By then, attention will have moved on and the political victory is in the bank.

A number of state officials, including the lieutenant governor, have made statements that this is not just about how Disney acts in Florida but generally. The lieutenant governor said Disney could get privileges
back not if they change how they act in Florida but if they change their entire output. They intend for Disney to be an ongoing target of attack.

There have also been recent efforts to curtail local autonomy, to prevent and punish actions that go against state desires. One year is a very short time to figure things out and nobody suffering means the point was not made.

 

[GimpYancIent]

It time to focus Anaheim as a flagship. Drop WDW and leave FL in dust.

DL is not in a better position than WDW as Anaheim became a hostile environment to DL about a decade ago. Despite all the recent turmoil around WDW the business situation for WDW is better than DL. The migration of company assets from DL to WDW will continue.

 

[peter11435]

This brings up a a question that I have. If someone or something like a corporation does something that causes the government to scrutinize that thing and then either pass a law that negatively affects the first party is it only “illegal” if the government says “we’re doing this to retaliate for X”?
I have heard at various points over the past couple decades that Florida has looked at modifying the RCID deal so if they had passed the bill 2 years ago would it have been fine? And if so how then does the process violate 1A?

It would depend on what the corporation did. In this case the corporation did nothing wrong and nothing illegal and politicians openly admitted that this was in retaliation to speech.

 

[peter11435]

A number of state officials, including the lieutenant governor, have made statements that this is not just about how Disney acts in Florida but generally. The lieutenant governor said Disney could get privileges
back not if they change how they act in Florida but if they change their entire output. They intend for Disney to be an ongoing target of attack.

There have also been recent efforts to curtail local autonomy, to prevent and punish actions that go against state desires. One year is a very short time to figure things out and nobody suffering means the point was not made.

People don’t realize how scary this is or what the future implications are. And I’m not referring to its impact on Disney.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Bruv have you ever heard of TikTok?

Lol wut

The law says "instruction," not "discussion." Your fears are unfounded.

In the preamble of the bill it is stated that the aim is "prohibiting classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner"

The source of my quote is the Bill itself:

https://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article259859150.ece/BINARY/HB%201557%20education%20bill.pdf#storylink=readmore_inline

There's plenty of valuable discussion about why this language is unacceptable, regardless of how you personally interpret it. I suggest you do some reading on that. The scope of the legal ramifications is potentially large and far-reaching. Hence the uproar.

 

[lazyboy97o]

People don’t realize how scary this is or what the future implications are. And I’m not referring to its impact on Disney.

Exactly. Between Disney and Twitter, the state of Florida has very openly declared that it is going to use the power of the state to punish companies that do not act as they desire. This isn’t about getting involved in Florida politics, it’s about trying to control private actions including those outside of Florida.

 

[peter11435]

Exactly. Between Disney and Twitter, the state of Florida has very openly declared that it is going to use the power of the state to punish companies that do not act as they desire. This isn’t about getting involved in Florida politics, it’s about trying to control private actions including those outside of Florida.

And further to that we are specifically referring to punishing these companies if they don’t act as the state desires them to act politically. They are saying unless you support us and our agendas we will punish you.

 

[GimpYancIent]

The District does not provide Disney with tax breaks. It charges Disney additional taxes.

Which is what now the county authorities will be doing. It will be interesting to see how creative (imaginative) the county elected officials become with this new challenge.

 

[lazyboy97o]

And further to that we are specifically referring to punishing these companies if they don’t act as the state desires them to act politically. They are saying unless you support us and our agendas we will punish you.

I’m not sure I’d consider Twitter refusing a buy out as a political move.