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

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not this one, I smelled the garlic

Don’t forget to add your “meatballs and your SAAAAsage”

 

[freedining]

How are the sign not to code?

RCID is in charge of the roads and the signage now? I’d really like to know, not in the form of a question, what happens when the counties take over? Does Disney already have a ‘pretty sign’ exemption at the county or state level? If not, is Disney likely to get an exemption? Seems to me this would be the most noticeable thing to most guests when RCID goes away.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

THEY SAID IT WAS TO PUNISH DISNEY....

JC…we need to take out a billboard with blinking neon lights to flash this below the fireworks at magic kingdom or something??

 

[peter11435]

And what if one state senator wants to get rid of RCID because they don't like Chapek's criticism of the education bill, but another state senator wants to get rid of RCID because they don't think RCID charges Disney enough for electricity? Would one state senator's first amendment-violating motive be enough to invalidate the dissolution?

RCID doesn’t charge Disney for electricity. RCES charges Walt Disney Parks and Resort and other customers in the district for electricity they use. Those customers include the United States Department of Defense. It also purchases/sells electricity from other electrical utility companies and pays RCID for use of district owned electricity generating and transmission infrastructure.

If the legislature had issues with the rates and fees there are enforcement mechanisms, audit processes, and oversight from several state agencies and departments. They could and should have at any time elevated their concerns to the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Auditor General to be investigated. They didn’t. In fact and instead nearly every legislator in the session demonstrated a profound lack of knowledge of how the district actually operates. DeSantis himself even stated he didn’t even know about it a month ago.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

That’s not how that works and I think you already know that.

However the legislator that sponsored the bill openly stated it was intended to harm Disney as a result of their statement. The governor who called the special session to debate the bill openly stated it was in response to the companies actions, that same governor later signed the bill into law AND went on to threaten them with higher taxes as a result.

Who made statements? What statements?

... sorry, couldn't help myself!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

RCID is in charge of the roads and the signage now? I’d really like to know, not in the form of a question, what happens when the counties take over? Does Disney already have a ‘pretty sign’ exemption at the county or state level? If not, is Disney likely to get an exemption? Seems to me this would be the most noticeable thing to most guests when RCID goes away.

That’s a minor thing…but it brings up one of about 10,000 questions that weren’t questions last week that NO ONE wants to handle/pay for

 

[Brian]

THEY SAID IT WAS TO PUNISH DISNEY....

True. However, paying devil's advocate here: from a legal perspective, RCID is not Disney (Disney is a private company, while RCID is a public entity), therefore, the folks suing the state would have to show, on the preponderance of evidence, the specific ways Disney is harmed by RCID being eliminated.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

RCID doesn’t charge Disney for electricity. RCES charges Walt Disney Parks and Resort and other customers for electricity they use. It also purchases/sells electricity from other electrical utility companies and pays RCID for use of district owned electricity generating and transmission infrastructure.

If the legislature had issues with the rates and fees there are enforcement mechanisms, audit processes, and oversight from several state agencies and departments. They could and should have at any time elevated their concerns to the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Auditor General to be investigated. They didn’t. In fact and instead nearly every legislator in the session demonstrated a profound lack of knowledge of how the district actually operates. DeSantis himself even stated he didn’t even know about it a month ago.

Yep…I bet the locals/tourists would love it if duke energy got more involved/entangled in the area…

…cause they never overcharge/rob anyone

 

[Tha Realest]

I don’t see how a First Amendment challenge wouldn’t have standing. Republicans have openly admitted that they’re penalizing Disney for speaking against the bill. That clearly violates the 1st Amendment rights for protected speech.

Whether or not there is a grievance is an entirely different issue than whether a party has standing. Constitutional law is replete with decisions where the merits looked clear as day but the decision found the party didn’t have standing. It’s a not insignificant step in constitutional law challenges. One, who has standing to assert the challenge. Two, can TWDC (by proxy) have standing by and through its ownership of land comprising a majority of what is known as the RCID. And three, is a legislatively-created district a the sort of right or interest that has certain First Amendment or Fourteenth Amendment implications.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It was relevant when I was arguing that political parties and ideologies change, in response to an implication that the political right has flipped from being hands-off to authoritarian (taking the RCID bill, for example) while the political left was somehow innocent in this regard and has never flip-flopped on it's positions.

Consider how President Obama campaigned in 2008 against same-sex marriages, and even maintained this stance in response to the lengthy legal battle over California's Proposition 8.

Let's not pretend that folks don't shift their views in light of a compelling argument or changing circumstances.


See above.

I think you've proven my point: views change. That's it.

Yes, I agree.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

True. However, paying devil's advocate here: from a legal perspective, RCID is not Disney (Disney is a private company, while RCID is a public entity), therefore, the folks suing the state would have to show, on the preponderance of evidence, the specific ways Disney is harmed by RCID being eliminated.

I’m pretty sure the worst lawyer on earth (Rudy)…could make a pretty quick link between Disney harm and reedy creek dissolution

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Whether or not there is a grievance is an entirely different issue than whether a party has standing. Constitutional law is replete with decisions where the merits looked clear as day but the decision found the party didn’t have standing. It’s a not insignificant step in constitutional law challenges. One, who has standing to assert the challenge. Two, can TWDC (by proxy) have standing by and through its ownership of land comprising a majority of what is known as the RCID. And three, is a legislatively-created district a the sort of right or interest that has certain First Amendment or Fourteenth Amendment implications.

First amendment challenges have gone pro-corporate the vast majority of
The time since the early 1970’s

Think “anti business” is a winner now?

 

[JoeCamel]

Yep…I bet the locals/tourists would love it if duke energy got more involved/entangled in the area…

…cause they never overcharge/rob anyone

Can Duke keep a reactor running? Someone seems to think Disney can

 

[Brian]

I’m pretty sure the worst lawyer on earth (Rudy)…could make a pretty quick link between Disney harm and reedy creek dissolution

You're really hitting it out of the park today with the quips.

Anywho, I think it would be a plausible link, but it is an additional burden that the folks suing the state would have to meet.

 

[John park hopper]

I don’t see how a First Amendment challenge wouldn’t have standing. Republicans have openly admitted that they’re penalizing Disney for speaking against the bill. That clearly violates the 1st Amendment rights for protected speech.

How convenient not to mention a majority of democrats voted for the bill No only those evil Republicans

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You're really hitting it out of the park today with the quips.

Anywho, I think it would be a plausible link, but it is an additional burden that the folks suing the state would have to meet.

…i haven’t even had coffee yet

 

[DisneyDebRob]

I’m pretty sure the worst lawyer on earth (Rudy)…could make a pretty quick link between Disney harm and reedy creek dissolution

No googling needed on that one.

 

[TimeTrip]

Disney pays MORE in taxes due to having Reedy Creek. They’d actually pay less if it was dissolved. FL collected $780 million in state and local taxes from Disney last year.

Is that true? And if so how much? I previously asked about property taxes and was told that they wouldn't pay portions of those taxes if the county didn't provide those services to the property covered by RCID. E.g. schools, roads, infrastructure, sanitation, police, public spaces, other services. If they just dont't pay those portion of taxes to the county and it goes to RCID, then it's just going to another entity that provides those services. Not necessarily paying more.

Of course they could choose to pay a higher rate to RCID for better services in which case yeah they'd be paying more, but from what I understand so far it's not like they're being double taxed on these things.

 

[peter11435]

Can Duke keep a reactor running? Someone seems to think Disney can

Duke still owns and operates two in Crystal River Florida

 

[Lilofan]

I’m pretty sure the worst lawyer on earth (Rudy)…could make a pretty quick link between Disney harm and reedy creek dissolution

If Rudy G takes the case perhaps he will use Four Seasons WDW as a backdrop for his news conference instead of the NE Philly Four Seasons Landscaping backdrop