lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
This is not at all an accurate retelling of the events and completely devoid of context. Dissolving Reedy Creek Improvement District was not a one and done act of opportunity.
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News Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
- Thread starter castlecake2.0
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SteveAZee
Premium Member
mikejs78
Premium Member
Sure, but we don't know how much of a reason it is. Some other reasons:
- Disney's quality has gone down
- The experience at Disney parks has deteriorated
- Disney is nickle and diming it's customers
- Disney isn't woke enough
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Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
If Disney was the same beloved company it was a decade ago this fight never would have happened in the first place, that change in perception still surprises me more than the actual fight,
As Disney regains their popularity via goodwill things like eliminating parking fees, eliminating AP reservations, bringing back shows, etc the harder it will be for the Governor to continue his campaign against them.
As Disney regains their popularity via goodwill things like eliminating parking fees, eliminating AP reservations, bringing back shows, etc the harder it will be for the Governor to continue his campaign against them.
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Dranth
Well-Known Member
I don’t see them caving in. They would be letting a hostile government tax them through the creation of an illegal district they have no say over. One that blatantly violates the state constitution. That would be putting themselves at the mercy of the very people already trying to screw them over who, by the way, can’t possibly be that interested in a strong Disney when they are out there bashing them in public whenever they get a chance.
They have been through these things before and will again. Most people will come back if they make the product worth it and the ones that won’t, I doubt they are a large enough group for them to care about.
They have been through these things before and will again. Most people will come back if they make the product worth it and the ones that won’t, I doubt they are a large enough group for them to care about.
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GoofGoof
Premium Member
Well the debate when they passed the bill to dissolve RCID was certainly robust and well thought out
You do realize that every corporation in America has taken positions on political issues, right? Why do people keep acting as if Disney is alone in doing this. The only difference in this case was a politician saw a way to benefit by attacking it….not for the benefit of anyone who actually lives in FL but for his own career goals and to line his pockets with political donations.
Central Florida would still be a backwater if it weren't for Disney. It could be argued that they've done quite a bit.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Iger had no problem making political statements. This idea that he was some neutral party is just more revisionist nonsense. More than anything he would have made Disney’s opposition clear from the beginning. The whole reason it became an issue in the first place is because people expected Disney to speak up, which is the exact opposite of the current narrative that Disney was expected to keep quiet. When Chapek started, the narrative was that he was the conservative who was going to make Disney less political and less “woke”. He was fighting with Iger to be less political. That’s exactly what he tried to do that blew up. Now suddenly it’s Iger who is going to change the direction he very much set.
Why would a DeSantis board not try to stick it to Disney? That’s their entire reason for existing. They have no other purpose besides punishing Disney. The whole reason we’re talking about a potential new district is because Plan A wasn’t thought out and doesn’t hurt Disney. Then there was the apparent Plan B of a protection racket “compromise” that got canned when it was not reported as a win for DeSantis. So now we’re on to Plan C that’s more completely designed to stick it to Disney.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
I would argue that none of this probably matters a whole lot in the long run. It’s easy for people to rant and rave on social media that they hate Disney now but few will act on it. They won’t skip Marvel and Star Wars and Pixar movies, they won’t stop watching sports on ESPN or shows on ABC (they still have shows right?
) and the ones who went to Disney parks will still go. I will point to the NFL as exhibit A. How many people ranted that they would never watch football again after the players started taking a knee? How many followed through? How are the NFL’s ratings? The buzz often far exceeds the actions.On the topic of whether Disney could have avoided this, I don’t really think so completely. They could have handled it better but ultimately this is the new norm for our society. Companies are being forced to “take a side” more and more and often they are faced with a decision of you are either with us or against us. This happens from both sides. People say they want Disney and other corporations to focus on business and ignore social issues but shouldn’t that go both ways? Why can’t their customers ignore their social positions and focus on whether they entertain them? I don’t agree with some of the political positions Chic-Fil-A has taken, but damn they make a good chicken sandwich. People need to get over it and most actually do when it comes to action even if they claim to be highly offended online. Remember too that at the end of the day Disney had no influence or bearing on whether the original law they opposed passed or was overturned so the “great harm” they caused is highly overstated.
I would argue that none of this probably matters a whole lot in the long run. It’s easy for people to rant and rave on social media that they hate Disney now but few will act on it. They won’t skip Marvel and Star Wars and Pixar movies, they won’t stop watching sports on ESPN or shows on ABC (they still have shows right?
Seeing is how Disney's animated movies are doing less than other studios children's and family offerings, and Universal's Theme Parks are seeing better growth. I don't think your people won't act on where they want to spend their money has much merit.
Dranth
Well-Known Member
The number of people who act long term when it comes to company political positions is a rounding error for most large companies. If that were not the case much of the middle of the country and the South East US would have banned Disney 20 some years ago, never wear Rebox, Nike, Addis’s, New Balance, drink Coke or Pepsi products, fly on most airlines, watch nearly any movie released in their lifetime and so on. Same goes for the other side who get upset over Hobby Lobby or Chick-Fil-A but then end up right back in those stores in a month.
Now if you are talking about people moving on due to quality, sure, that happens all the time. However, those same people tend to come back when or if things improve.
That is fair. You are right about many boycotts. At the same time, they are the only thing that works when they are actually stuck to. A lot of this riff raff that is going on is not on a level that will keep going, so that makes sense.
The big issue here is, shooting yourself temporarily, when you are not putting out good quality hurts majorly as that is the time when you need the "loyalty" the most.
Schmidt
Well-Known Member
Really??? Florida would have next to no economy if it wasn't for Disney and what they started 50 something years ago. The money this company has brought into the state is uncountable. I get what you are saying, but its lacking some honesty.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Less than a year is not exactly the long run
On that point, Disney had 3 of the top 4 and 5 of the top 10 grossing films of 2022 if you count Spider-Man which was technically Sony. They may not have been animated films but why would that matter? People say they are done with Disney then drop $20 to see little blue men or a Superhero movie. As far as parks I’m not sure Universal’s success has much to do with people quitting Disney. As I said, it’s a nice story and people want to believe it, but doesn’t make it so.
Less than a year is not exactly the long run
On that point, Disney had 3 of the top 4 and 5 of the top 10 grossing films of 2022 if you count Spider-Man which was technically Sony. They may not have been animated films but why would that matter? People say they are done with Disney then drop $20 to see little blue men or a Superhero movie. As far as parks I’m not sure Universal’s success has much to do with people quitting Disney. As I said, it’s a nice story and people want to believe it, but doesn’t make it so.
Spiderman was pre this political drama.
I don't think many people who are invested in Avatar 2 did know that Fox, including Avatar is now Disney. That is recent to the lameman. Avatar 2 also grossed much less than anticipated, but that again in truth probably speaks to quality. Not relevant to the political non supporting basis though.
The bigger picture is that neither Spiderman Homecoming or Avatar 2, Black Panther had the political statements that have had people boycotting as plot points or character development. They do not need to boycott the company, but not supporting the products that deal with it have been evident. Lightyear and Strange World are no coincidence. No matter what your opinion on it, they were less profitable because of their direct association with the content.
You are right though. Universal's achievements over Disney have been in quality more than politics. Although staying out of the limelight with it did not hurt them at all.
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Miami has entered the chat
The City of Miami has more than double (and close to triple) the GDP of both Orange and Osceola Counties combined.
Yeah, those arguments that FL, if not for Disney would be nothing should only ever really say Central FL, when they say all of Florida it is a gross exaggeration. It certainly helps but it is not the big winner.
FL would still have some of the best beaches and produce in the world. It would be different, but by no means desolate.
OrlandoRising
Well-Known Member
There have been rumblings that Disney's own surveys have seen a legitimate political blowback against the company from the 60+ age group, similar to how the right criticizes most of Hollywood. That's also an age group that is more conservative than the rest of the company and it's not as important of a demo as families with small children.
There's no viable political path for legislators or a new governor to hand Disney back the reigns of power over RCID once they've been taken. It would be all downside for the politicians and no voters, R or D or independent, would look upon such a deal favorably.
Disney's only chance is to try to negotiate a solution that DeSantis can frame as a win now, and I'm not sure there's much political reason for him to compromise.
Even Tampa's GDP surpasses Orange/Osceola Counties combined.
Oddly though, Jacksonville's is less than Orange/Osceola. I had assumed it would've been higher owing to the city's relatively large finance and insurance sectors, as well as the HUGE port there.