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

[GrumpyFan]

Exactly this. On the surface it seems that the idea of a company having its own government is not a good idea - but once you look at all the details, it really starts to make sense as to why it's still there and hasn't ever been removed.

People get hung up on the fact that it’s a private business self managing their own city/district, but it’s really not that different than the military managing their property for a military base. WDW rivals many military bases across the U.S. in both size and uniqueness of their operations. The big difference between the two is Disney has self funded their property for more than 50 years without burdening the taxpayers.

 

[RamblinWreck]

You do pretend to know, every time you say that RCID was approved for reasons other than EPCOT. Disney bought the land, showed the film, told the legislatures what their plan was to justify the charter, and you seem to believe that magically had nothing to do with their decision making.




What would you have it say? That they were ONLY giving Disney control of the special district in order to run an experimental government? That it was a science experiment?

Even Walt's EPCOT was always planned to be a tourist destination.



Of course it doesn't make sense, which is why RCID should have been disbanded long ago.

Why then is it still not being disbanded, with no plans to ever do so?

 

[MagicHappens1971]

What would you have it say? That they were ONLY giving Disney control of the special district in order to run an experimental government? That it was a science experiment?

It would say what it does say, that it was created to promote tourism. Most importantly, it was created for Disney to funnel tax dollars to pay for their infrastructure. Which, news flash, Florida, Orange & Osceola counties could not afford to do. Give it a rest. You have done nothing but state baseless opinions.

 

[GoofGoof]

Yeah the whole concept of Disney controlling a “government“ is really just flawed. A special district is a government entity but with an extremely limited scope compared to a general government. The idea that Disney is virtually the only landowner in the district is portrayed as an issue or flawed but in reality if Disney controlled a general government with thousands or millions of residents that would be really troubling. The fact that they control a special district with authority limited to municipal services and development is not the same thing as ”controlling a government”, but saying it that way sounds more ominous and is better for headlines.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Yeah the whole concept of Disney controlling a “government“ is really just flawed. A special district is a government entity but with an extremely limited scope compared to a general government. The idea that Disney is virtually the only landowner in the district is portrayed as an issue or flawed but in reality if Disney controlled a general government with thousands or millions of residents that would be really troubling. The fact that they control a special district with authority limited to municipal services and development is not the same thing as ”controlling a government”, but saying it that way sounds more ominous and is better for headlines.

What's so baffling is that the residents of Epcot were never going to own land. They were going to rent, so wouldn't have voting rights in the district anyway.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Yeah the whole concept of Disney controlling a “government“ is really just flawed. A special district is a government entity but with an extremely limited scope compared to a general government. The idea that Disney is virtually the only landowner in the district is portrayed as an issue or flawed but in reality if Disney controlled a general government with thousands or millions of residents that would be really troubling. The fact that they control a special district with authority limited to municipal services and development is not the same thing as ”controlling a government”, but saying it that way sounds more ominous and is better for headlines.

They want to give doofuses the vision of some version of the Vatican.

That’s all it is.

 

[MrPromey]

You think that the Walt Disney film promoting EPCOT had no impact on the decision making?

I'm sure it had some in terms of the details and degree of control it offered as the justifiable reason but I'm pretty confident our state government was far more interested in the promised Disneyland East than they were the other purpose Disney had bought up all that land here.

It was always my understanding that the Magic Kingdom was giving us what we wanted so WD could get the freedom to do what he wanted with the rest of the land - not the other way around like you seem to be suggesting.

After all, it's not like the state of Florida had to be sold on the idea of getting a major tourist attraction built to increase vacation travel to our state.

The specifics were probably written with the needs of a real lived-in city in mind but I don't believe for a minute the Disney Co. couldn't have pushed for and gotten what they got and used, without talk of EPCOT... maybe not the nuclear power plant that never was and such but again, pretty much everything else, including the airport that they have made use of.

 

[mikejs78]

Posting this because it references how the DeSantis/Disney situation is being viewed as a "self-inflicted wound" by the donor class.

‘Really weak option’: Wall Street sours on DeSantis as Trump challenger

Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial reelection campaign is still loaded with cash, giving him big advantages over possible competitors. But many now say he no longer seems so formidable — at least on Wall Street.

www.politico.com

 

[GoofGoof]

Posting this because it references how the DeSantis/Disney situation is being viewed as a "self-inflicted wound" by the donor class.

‘Really weak option’: Wall Street sours on DeSantis as Trump challenger

Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial reelection campaign is still loaded with cash, giving him big advantages over possible competitors. But many now say he no longer seems so formidable — at least on Wall Street.

www.politico.com

Yeah, this has been building for a little while now. The Disney feud is particularly troubling for big donors, a fact that some of his supporters refuse to believe. I just hope this doesn’t lead to an even more aggressive scorched earth campaign if he blames the mouse for his campaign failing. The legislature needs to step up and make sure policy is about FL and not a personal vendetta, but so far haven’t seemed willing to do that.

 

[Dranth]

Posting this because it references how the DeSantis/Disney situation is being viewed as a "self-inflicted wound" by the donor class.

‘Really weak option’: Wall Street sours on DeSantis as Trump challenger

Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial reelection campaign is still loaded with cash, giving him big advantages over possible competitors. But many now say he no longer seems so formidable — at least on Wall Street.

www.politico.com

What, big money people who earn their fortunes through business and investment don't like a candidate who acts like a spoiled child and starts calling for and signing brazenly anti business policy?

I know a lot of people think he doesn't need the high end doners but he does, what it costs to run a campaign for president is staggering and if you don't have the ongoing influx of money to batter the endless attacks and fund your own offensives and counter attacks you will lose.

 

[Lilofan]

Posting this because it references how the DeSantis/Disney situation is being viewed as a "self-inflicted wound" by the donor class.

‘Really weak option’: Wall Street sours on DeSantis as Trump challenger

Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial reelection campaign is still loaded with cash, giving him big advantages over possible competitors. But many now say he no longer seems so formidable — at least on Wall Street.

www.politico.com

Billionaire Bloomberg of NYC also had plenty of cash, spent $500M of his own monies to seek the top job. That didn't help . But he is currently worth over $50B. If DeSantis needs a loan...

 

[mkt]

What, big money people who earn their fortunes through business and investment don't like a candidate who acts like a spoiled child and starts calling for and signing brazenly anti business policy?

I know a lot of people think he doesn't need the high end doners but he does, what it costs to run a campaign for president is staggering and if you don't have the ongoing influx of money to batter the endless attacks and fund your own offensives and counter attacks you will lose.

Exactly. Part of the reason that big businesses don't invest into third world countries is because of leadership that is unstable and unlikely to honor agreements.

 

[GoofGoof]

Billionaire Bloomberg of NYC also had plenty of cash, spent $500M of his own monies to seek the top job. That didn't help . But he is currently worth over $50B

Having money doesn’t guarantee that you win an election…..not having money guarantees that you won’t win.

 

[Lilofan]

Having money doesn’t guarantee that you win an election…..not having money guarantees that you won’t win.

Correct no guarantees, but having huge cash on hand from donations and or personal net worth does help your chances but not for Wall Street billionaire Bloomberg.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Posting this because it references how the DeSantis/Disney situation is being viewed as a "self-inflicted wound" by the donor class.

‘Really weak option’: Wall Street sours on DeSantis as Trump challenger

Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial reelection campaign is still loaded with cash, giving him big advantages over possible competitors. But many now say he no longer seems so formidable — at least on Wall Street.

www.politico.com

good... I know people who like DeSantis but thinks it doesn't make sense for him being a republican who are typically for business and less government trying to enforce more government

 

[Lilofan]

Exactly. Part of the reason that big businesses don't invest into third world countries is because of leadership that is unstable and unlikely to honor agreements.

I can think of one guy worth over $120B who invested $5B in one of the fastest growing third world countries ( India ) for Amazon.

 

[mkt]

I can think of one guy worth over $120B who invested $5B in one of the fastest growing third world countries ( India ) for Amazon.

India is second world

 

[LAKid53]

I'm sure it had some in terms of the details and degree of control it offered as the justifiable reason but I'm pretty confident our state government was far more interested in the promised Disneyland East than they were the other purpose Disney had bought up all that land here.

It was always my understanding that the Magic Kingdom was giving us what we wanted so WD could get the freedom to do what he wanted with the rest of the land - not the other way around like you seem to be suggesting.

After all, it's not like the state of Florida had to be sold on the idea of getting a major tourist attraction built to increase vacation travel to our state.

The specifics were probably written with the needs of a real lived-in city in mind but I don't believe for a minute the Disney Co. couldn't have pushed for and gotten what they got and used, without talk of EPCOT... maybe not the nuclear power plant that never was and such but again, pretty much everything else, including the airport that they have made use of.

Florida was glad to take whatever Walt (and later Roy) was proposing. Outside of South Florida and the space and treasure coasts, tourism was scarce. Disney plopping down in Central Florida not only helped that region grow, but the entire state.

 

[Heppenheimer]

India is second world

"Second world" meant industrialized but communist, showing that the whole First, Second and Third World classification is not particularly relevant anymore.

 

[mikejs78]

I know a lot of people think he doesn't need the high end doners but he does

Absolutely.

Billionaire Bloomberg of NYC also had plenty of cash, spent $500M of his own monies to seek the top job. That didn't help . But he is currently worth over $50B. If DeSantis needs a loan..

Having money doesn’t guarantee that you win an election…..not having money guarantees that you won’t win.

Correct no guarantees, but having huge cash on hand from donations and or personal net worth does help your chances but not for Wall Street billionaire Bloomberg.

Definately not a guaruntee as Bloomberg showed. But if he doesn't get the money, he's essentially out. You can't run a presidential campaign without big money, but just having money isn't enough. Trump spent a lot of his own fortune in 2016; DeSantis doesn't have that luxury. He needs the donor class, and a lot of the money he's raised to date can't be used in a Presidential campaign.