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

[EricsBiscuit]

Everything I posted was true. What do you have a disagreement with?

Which other theme park asked for a special district? Universal is 500 acres, Sea World is 200, Disney is 28,000. Apples and oranges. And when Reedy Creek was formed, Orlando was a swamp without the facilities and infrastructure to support Disney. They might not have been able to build without the special district.

Not sure why my posts were deleted because I was responding in kind. Anyways, what FL did with Disney is not a free market approach as others suggested. It is granting a special privilege to one corporation at the expense of others. The size of Disney does not negate the fact that RCID gives them an unfair advantage.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

He doesn’t care about that. He’s only interested in silencing opposition, gaining media spotlight and appealing to his base by standing up to the woke corporation.

If you researched it a little more, you would realize that the tax incentive in question is open to any corporation coming to FL. RCID is a unique privilege given to Disney alone and is reminiscent of Medieval Age licenses.

 

[peter11435]

RCID is a unique privilege given to Disney alone and is reminiscent of Medieval Age licenses.

You realize this isn’t true right?

 

[Lilofan]

If you researched it a little more, you would realize that the tax incentive in question is open to any corporation coming to FL. RCID is a unique privilege given to Disney alone and is reminiscent of Medieval Age licenses.

I’d have to check how Medieval Times in Kissimmee got their license to operate.

 

[mikejs78]

Not sure why my posts were deleted because I was responding in kind. Anyways, what FL did with Disney is not a free market approach as others suggested. It is granting a special privilege to one corporation at the expense of others. The size of Disney does not negate the fact that RCID gives them an unfair advantage.

If you researched it a little more, you would realize that the tax incentive in question is open to any corporation coming to FL. RCID is a unique privilege given to Disney alone and is reminiscent of Medieval Age licenses.

This isn't true at all. When Disney came in 1967, there is no way that the counties had the resources to set up the infrastructure that Disney needed to get going. And even ongoing, the counties don't have the resources to maintain that infrastructure. If Reedy Creek hadn't existed, there would be no Disney World, no Uni, no Sea World, and Central Florida would still be mostly swamp.

This was and is a mutually beneficial arrangement between Disney and the state. The fact that it was undone to satisfy one man's national political ambitions is the story here.

 

[Roy G. Dis]

If you researched it a little more, you would realize that the tax incentive in question is open to any corporation coming to FL. RCID is a unique privilege given to Disney alone and is reminiscent of Medieval Age licenses.

You. Are. Not. Allowed. To. Flex. Government. Power. In. Response. To. Speech.

Do you also support using government power to ban all intolerable religions too?

 

[castlecake2.0]

Not sure why my posts were deleted because I was responding in kind. Anyways, what FL did with Disney is not a free market approach as others suggested. It is granting a special privilege to one corporation at the expense of others. The size of Disney does not negate the fact that RCID gives them an unfair advantage.

What about the 1,844 other companies and organizations in Florida that have special districts? At the expense of what “others”?

 

[mikejs78]

What about the 1,844 other companies and organizations in Florida that have special districts? At the expense of what “others”?

Also the fact that uni is part of a special district - it's just different in composition to what RCID is.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Not sure why my posts were deleted because I was responding in kind. Anyways, what FL did with Disney is not a free market approach as others suggested. It is granting a special privilege to one corporation at the expense of others. The size of Disney does not negate the fact that RCID gives them an unfair advantage.

Why are you so unwilling to discuss specifics?

 

[MandaM]

Not sure why my posts were deleted because I was responding in kind. Anyways, what FL did with Disney is not a free market approach as others suggested. It is granting a special privilege to one corporation at the expense of others. The size of Disney does not negate the fact that RCID gives them an unfair advantage.

So, nothing I initially said was untrue, then.

You’ve yet to explain how it’s an unfair advantage. The size of Disney means they have needs that parks a fraction of their size don’t. Those parks aren’t running their own good-size city. This was all set up because Orlando counldn’t provide the infrastructure Disney needed to create the parks. And Disney creating the parks is what led to the other parks being built and boomed the Orlando economy. Do you think Orlando would be in a better place if no district had been created and Disney was never built?

Either way, the point is moot. FL has the right to re-evaluate special districts. However, they don’t have the right to do it as punishment for Disney disagreeing with their policies. That’s unconstitutional and fascist.

 

[MrMichaelJames]

What is the end game here? Disney spoke out, gets “punished” (maybe illegally) but then what? Does FL just think that Disney the corp will just “change their mind” and continue with political donations? What is going to happen is they just poked the wasp nest with a ton of employees and money that can work from outside the state or start investing elsewhere. At the same time potentially ing off a ton of voters and maybe even tourists. Revenge rarely works. What is even more crazy is I have relatives that think the FL governor is the best thing next to Trump! The crazy koolaid did still flowing.

 

[LittleBuford]

Looks like your relatives aren't the only one. "These polls don't matter because CNN is obviously a right-wing echo chamber" in 3...2....1....

Ron DeSantis' governing strategy in Florida is paying off | CNN Politics

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed controversial stances that have catapulted him into GOP stardom. From Covid-19 vaccines to critical race theory to the law critics have dubbed "Don't Say Gay," DeSantis has annoyed Democrats (and many medical professionals) and delighted his fellow...

www.cnn.com

It doesn’t surprise me that he’s popular; populists often are. That doesn’t make what he’s doing any less repugnant.

 

[bdearl41]

It doesn’t surprise me that he’s popular; populists often are. That doesn’t make what he’s doing any less repugnant.

It’s why we are a republic and not a pure democracy. Republics can better repel troublesome populist movements.

 

[Diamond Dot]

I wonder what the residents of Orange County will be thinking when the average rise in property tax goes up by around $300 a year and business taxes will go up by the thousands, including businesses like Universal and Sea World.
There was a very interesting interview with the Orange County Tax Collector, Scott Randolph on YouTube. If I were a resident of Orange County I would be immediately looking into the personal impact on my finances from DeSantis' rash actions.

 

[Diamond Dot]

The legislature has broad and sweeping powers to raise taxes.

What stops them from doing so is one party’s unwillingness to “tax the rich” and another party’s reluctance to alienate voters.

When it comes to Disney, the first party wants to punish Disney for its wokeness, while the second party is not going to want to support big tax increases for its voting citizens.

Combined, the two mean there will be changes to the Orange County tax code to make sure that Disney covers the costs of what used to be handled by RCID.

None of this matters though. Disney is going to win in court and RCID will continue to exist.

Go watch Scott Randolph's interview in CNN.

 

[Brian]

Go watch Scott Randolph's interview in CNN.

I'm not coming after you directly, so please don't take it that way. On the topic of Scott Randolph, folks on this board should consider that he is an elected Democrat and even a former Democrat state representative. Right now, the biggest priority for Florida Democrats is to unseat Ron DeSantis in November, and, though it would likely prove futile, try to take the majority in one or both houses of the legislature.

That's not to say that Randolph is incapable of providing factual information. The biggest problem that I see in society today is that even factual information can be and is often presented without painting the complete picture. Then there's the problem of a partisan figure being treated as an unbiased and objective source of information.

For example, many of the articles on the local and even national news about the RCID legislation quote Randolph as saying that Orange County can't just start taxing Disney what RCID was taxing them, so there will be additional burden on all taxpayers. Based on the research I've done, that is true. However, if we had a fair and objective press in this country, what would be reported next is that the governor and his office has repeatedly said that there are plans in the works to avoid saddling county taxpayers with what is currently Disney's responsibility. This would balance out the partisan nature of the conversation by providing "both sides to the story" and letting the reader/viewer decide for themselves how to feel about the issue.

Some members have rightfully pointed out that Randolph has provided what they believe to be correct information, while the governor's office has not yet put forth a concrete plan. I don't dispute that. What I do dispute is the bias displayed in the media in this story by trying to stoke outrage against DeSantis and the Florida GOP by willfully ignoring the other side of the story, and holding up legitimately partisan officials such as Randolph as unbiased sources of information.

 

[mikejs78]

The legislature has broad and sweeping powers to raise taxes.

What stops them from doing so is one party’s unwillingness to “tax the rich” and another party’s reluctance to alienate voters.

When it comes to Disney, the first party wants to punish Disney for its wokeness, while the second party is not going to want to support big tax increases for its voting citizens.

Combined, the two mean there will be changes to the Orange County tax code to make sure that Disney covers the costs of what used to be handled by RCID.

None of this matters though. Disney is going to win in court and RCID will continue to exist.

There's a bunch of stuff enshrined in the FL.constitution on taxes. The legislature has limited options

However, if we had a fair and objective press in this country, what would be reported next is that the governor and his office has repeatedly said that there are plans in the works to avoid saddling county taxpayers with what is currently Disney's responsibility.

It's not fair and objective if the governor doesn't present a plan. Just saying that they will be saddled with it is meaningless. And by the way, that has been reported.

What I do dispute is the bias displayed in the media in this story by trying to stoke outrage against DeSantis and the Florida GOP by willfully ignoring the other side of the story, and holding up legitimately partisan officials such as Randolph as unbiased sources of information.

It's not bias if one person is presenting factual information and another one that just making assertions without anything to back it up. I'd be happy to listen to DeSantis's side of he presented a plan - which should have been done before this bill was even voted on.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The legislature has broad and sweeping powers to raise taxes.

What stops them from doing so is one party’s unwillingness to “tax the rich” and another party’s reluctance to alienate voters.

When it comes to Disney, the first party wants to punish Disney for its wokeness, while the second party is not going to want to support big tax increases for its voting citizens.

Combined, the two mean there will be changes to the Orange County tax code to make sure that Disney covers the costs of what used to be handled by RCID.

None of this matters though. Disney is going to win in court and RCID will continue to exist.

The legislature can’t just ignore the state constitution.

 

[mikejs78]

I respectfully suggest you research Scott Randolph’s political career, particularly regarding one of the causes he is most passionate about.

That has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Again, one person presenting facts which have been independently verified, another making broad claims without specifics.

 

[peter11435]

I respectfully suggest you research Scott Randolph’s political career, particularly regarding one of the causes he is most passionate about.

I’ve already had one post deleted that documents this. I have no desire to have another one deleted.

None of that is relevant if you can’t dispute what he is saying.