Someone who lives there can correct me if this is wrong with regards to Disney's special govt status. But, everything I am reading seems to indicate if the special status is removed, it just puts less of a financial burden on Disney, and more on tax payers in the 2 counties. So Desantis plan with Disney is to essentially make it cheaper for Disney to operate, while residents pick up the tab? How is this a bad thing for Disney?
Disney
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The last thing that Disney wants is transparency and government oversight into what is going on in that enclave. They have had control of everything and continue to want that. DeSantis isn’t an idiot. He knows this is a threat and so does Disney.
They have had control of things they are paying for, which sounds like it would just be transferred to citizens in the 2 counties, increasing their tax burden. What kind of transparency? Disney is a publicly traded company, it isnt as if they are some sort of super secretive group, so you might have to explain that to me.
I dont think Desantis is dumb, but I do think Desantis is trying to be in the press as much as possible for a potential presidential run. Even smart people can do dumb things. This seems like poorly thought out virtue signaling to me. I saw a tweet from a FLorida state rep (I cant remember the guys name or I would link it), who tweeted that they are basically shooting first and asking questions later. He basically implied that Desantis and others never remotely considered the tax issue with this. I cant possibly imagine people in Orlando are wanting to pay more taxes because of Desantis war with Disney, not to mention how many people are going to quit going to Disney because of all of this? Which would obviously cost not just Disney, but a lot of other business in Orlando if tourism were to be hurt. I just dont understand the mindset by threatening a company who, lets be honest, kind of made Central Florida what it is today.
Tread lightly or what? And you do understand how authoritarian that sounds dont you? Do what Desantis wants or he will punish you? I dont understand this mindset of trying to damage the biggest tourist attraction in the state, and the most visit theme park in the world. If Disney is hurt, then lets be honest, Orlando and the surrounding counties are hurt. Nobody cares about visiting Orlando on its own, they visit for the attractions. If there are some sort of pedophilia issues with Disney, then investigate it and charge the appropriate people accordingly, but I dont understand this mindest of essentially declaring financial war on a company that brings so much to the state, and will also cause average citizens to be hurt as well.
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So the current structure basically allows Disney to operate as its own city government with regards to services, zoning, etc.
Republican sponsors of the legislation couldn’t answer questions Tuesday about whether the measure would leave local governments responsible for billions of dollars in infrastructure and other responsibilities in the district that Disney now pays for on its own.
The above seems like a pretty significant issue, that the Republicans pushing for this havent actually thought of (or at least wont comment on). This is going to have some unintended consequences for sure.
Republican sponsors of the legislation couldn’t answer questions Tuesday about whether the measure would leave local governments responsible for billions of dollars in infrastructure and other responsibilities in the district that Disney now pays for on its own.
The above seems like a pretty significant issue, that the Republicans pushing for this havent actually thought of (or at least wont comment on). This is going to have some unintended consequences for sure.
Whatever sweetheart deal Disney had from back in the 70's has been more than paid off. Tax the shit out of them.
They have been political donors for years,as have many large companies. This has nothing to do with getting involved with politics, it has to do with crossing one guy (who they also donated money to). I think stuff like this is dangerous. There might be reasonable arguments to remove special status from Disney, but a governor being upset with them is not reasonable.
Nobody should be kissing a politicians ass, they work for us, not the other way around. Desantis is no exception. If we are going to turn into a country where we get punished for speaking out against our leaders, then we are going to end up living in a very different country in the not to distant future.
You dont have an issue with that? Disney commenting on politics is not illegal, so why should a sitting governor put them in a corner? I am sorry but there is nothing small government or conservative about that. It is closer to authoritarianism to tell people to shut up or else.
It isnt a non issue. This is what the Republican party is at the moment and they have painted themselves into a corner, because as soon as they stop with this nonsense, they will lose supporters. This is only going to get worse over the next few years.
Yes,so do something about those teachers, not demonize teachers and education as a whole.
They should stick to those things I agree. The problem they have, is their current identity is based around Trump. Remember how they all talked about Trump before they thought he could win? Well, he did win, so many Republicans jumped on board instead of sticking to actual issues, and now if they turn back to more basic issues, many of them are going to lose.
No one Officially dies on Disney property, no one is officially arrested on Disney property, businesses pay taxes to Disney for their services, and Disney can build whatever they want, wherever they want, without regard to county or municipal regulation or zoning. Sure, the county might have to pay for roads but they’d also get to receive property taxes they never get along with all the fees that you democrats like to pass for services.
Which would become a bigger deal if Disney ever fulfilled the promise of EPCOT and went into residential development. They’ve been tossing the idea around lately and I’m guessing this would kill that entirely.
Q&A: DeSantis vs. Disney, what does it mean?
News 6 political expert Jim Clark weighs in on a special session in Florida that could do away with the Reedy Creek District at Disney World.
The counties already receive property taxes according to this, which is from a UCF professor.
Q: How much does Disney stand to lose?
A: It’s unclear what’s going to happen. It’s the great unknown. First of all, Disney doesn’t get any breaks here. It’s not like they don’t pay property taxes. They do pay tremendous property taxes in Orange and Osceola, but they pay for their own fire protection, they contract with the sheriff’s department and pay for protection from the sheriff’s department, they are responsible for their own infrastructure, everything. So they are paying property taxes, but they’re also paying millions and millions of dollars for upkeep to what would usually be done by the county, so it could be that the taxpayers of Orange and Osceola counties are gonna get a tax increase because of the Reedy Creek District going away. It could hurt the counties, definitely. And I don’t think (the counties) want responsibility for what’s 27 square miles of additional territory.
Typical. Let's score meaningless culture war points at the expense of taxpayers.
There's no way that the magnitude of the reorganization that's going to have to take place at the county services level isn't going to cost a lot of money.
There's no way that the magnitude of the reorganization that's going to have to take place at the county services level isn't going to cost a lot of money.
I am sure it benefits them, but it also benefited the entire area. Without Disney, Orlando and surrounding counties would have been a swampy wasteland where no one wanted to live or visit.
And look, there might be legitimate arguments to get rid of this, but pissing off a governor is not a legitimate argument. Desantis is like a child throwing a fit because someone didnt agree with him on something.
They aren’t paying the full assessment that neighboring areas are paying. Most likely it’ll be an even trade off. The bigger issue is that Disney is very controlling about what goes on in Reedy Creek that actually is entered into the public record. With county services and county oversight and regulation, everything that happens is public record. Imagine Disney’s reaction when journalists write the expose of what really goes on at the “happiest place on earth” based on public records and not just rare anecdotes. Sure, there are Orange County deputy sheriffs stationed at Disney and they do a ton of off-duties. But they have special rules because of jurisdiction that would go away entirely.Q&A: DeSantis vs. Disney, what does it mean?
News 6 political expert Jim Clark weighs in on a special session in Florida that could do away with the Reedy Creek District at Disney World.www.clickorlando.com
The counties already receive property taxes according to this, which is from a UCF professor.
Q: How much does Disney stand to lose?
A: It’s unclear what’s going to happen. It’s the great unknown. First of all, Disney doesn’t get any breaks here. It’s not like they don’t pay property taxes. They do pay tremendous property taxes in Orange and Osceola, but they pay for their own fire protection, they contract with the sheriff’s department and pay for protection from the sheriff’s department, they are responsible for their own infrastructure, everything. So they are paying property taxes, but they’re also paying millions and millions of dollars for upkeep to what would usually be done by the county, so it could be that the taxpayers of Orange and Osceola counties are gonna get a tax increase because of the Reedy Creek District going away. It could hurt the counties, definitely. And I don’t think (the counties) want responsibility for what’s 27 square miles of additional territory.
In the end, Disney went and got political and is sticking to its guns so they can’t complain when the politicians respond politically.
Orlando would be just fine without Disney. The tourist district might suffer and the convention center might not get as many upgrades but the rest of the metro would go right on.
Where's Disney going to go? ...Atlanta, New Orleans, Huntsville AL? ...they are more dependent on Florida than the other way around.
Almost as brilliant as your ridiculous point. How long did it take for you to come up with that doozie?
You know what, save it. I've about had my share of stupid on here for the week. Carry on.
And the Democrats. with Mask mandates and long-term lock downs, and forcing vaccines on people.
Disney obviously isnt going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. I think the bigger issue will be if it raises taxes on locals, and if conservatives from across the country stop going there, then the entire area could certainly take a hit. Hypothetically, If they were to go anywhere, I dont think Orlando would be fine at all. People travel to Florida for beaches, and for Disney. You remove Disney, and my guess is you would see a significant decrease in tourism, to the point where Orlando wouldnt even really be considered a tourist town anymore.
THe other issue is politicians punishing people who speak out against them. That isnt conservative, that isnt small government, and in some ways you can argue it is anti American.
The bright, new era we live in:
IT'S MY G'DAMN RIGHT to stay inside my burning, smoke-filled home by golly!!! How dare you firefighters attempt to FORCIBLY remove me and my family!!!
IT'S ALL ABOUT FREEDOM, BABY!!!
Of course they're not going anywhere and of course the economy would take a serious hit if they were to close up shop here. But Orlando has grown beyond the point where Disney is the only driver of the economy, I don't even know that Disney is solely responsible for the convention trade on I-Drive as the other 2 major competitors are Las Vegas and Chicago and neither has Disney (yes, I know that there's other things in Vegas).
What I'm trying to say is that Orlando has grown beyond the Mickey Mouse town solely and could survive a severe tourism industry setback. Obviously there would be a large impact but I don't think that it would destroy the city the way the auto industry migration destroyed Detroit. Maybe I'm very wrong or just too bullish on Orlando's new economy potential.
I think Orlando would lose a lot of its appeal if Disney were to ever leave, or people just kept boycotting it. Orlando without Disney would be like Vegas without gambling, Nashville without music, or New Orleans without drinking. Those things are part of the identities of those cities, and Disney is a part of Orlando's identity. OBviously they arent leaving though so that point is kind of moot, and we will see how this ends up playing out, but I have a feeling other people are going to end up having to pay their share for Desantis not being able to handle criticism.
I realize this has veered horribly off-topic but the issue is important. Our country has been blessed to have childhood vaccinations that have nearly eliminated all of the illnesses and deadly outbreaks like polio that used to regularly kill young people. But thanks to people like you and that screwball federal judge, this blessing will likely go away if more and more "freedom-loving' families refuse childhood vaccinations and our health agencies no longer have the power to enforce them.
If our government health officials aren't allowed to protect people, what the f*k is government all about?
Like the Florida legislature's Disney stupidity, the right-wing crowd seems hellbent on screwing up the good things already in place that were working just fine.
Putting myself outside of living here, I can certainly see that as the obvious position. I just feel like there’s so much beyond Disney here now to build on that we’d weather the storm and maybe even grow beyond the image of just a tourist trap.
I am sure Orlando is a nice place to live and all of that, so dont take it like I am putting the city down or anything, but tourism is obviously a major part of the city. But unlike some of the other major touristy cities, Orlando is where people take their kids. Without Disney, a lot of the "kid" factor would be gone and I think most adults, including myself, would prefer to go to a beach town in Florida. Obviously there are more parts to Orlando than tourism, I understand that, but just like where I live, you take away the tourists, and it's a not really the same city.
Orlando is the only large metro area in the state that is not on a coast. Precisely because of Disney and tourism.
Yeah, the 80,000 people Disney employs in Central Florida can all find other jobs.
Look I am an independent,but have you been alive the last few years? Who is the true authoritarians here? Who is fighting a mask mandate on aircraft to preserve their mandates band edicts? Who is silencing opposition on social media be about Lia Thomsan or COVID or pointing how Biden is declining quickly? Who is doing all this?
I was born and raised in Florida. I went to the grand opening of Walt Disney World as a toe headed blonde kid . I was 5 . My sister worked for the mouse in high school and my youth and my town were shaped and transformed by Disney. As a recovering environmental planner I am very familiar with RCID and I worked for the consulting firm that did work for Disney like Animal Kingdom Lodge, Pop Century Resort and many other cool things we did in terms of landscape architecture and such.
I don't think DeSantis should have gone down that path and revoked the RCID . I think Disney got a lot of heat from their ridiculous response to the law . Why would a theme park geared toward young families stand up and say we don't think parents should have a right here. We want to reach five year olds about sex. The bill didn't say teachers are free to reach about heterosexual intercourse and nothing else . It said no sex ed for K-3 .
What puzzles me why can't the adults in the room say , yah we should let kids be kids and don't go down these paths. I remember being 5 and the only thing my wiener was good for was peeing outside or on a flower. I didn't know it was really for something better and I didn't need to know it at 5 or 6 or 7 or 8. Girls had cooties and boys were cool.
The left in this country constantly push adult themes and abstract ideas concepts of sexuality, gender and such to younger and younger kids. Desantis and the legislature said nope hands of k-3 . Who is being unreasonable here? Those pushing to talk to kindergarten kids about adult abstract ideas like transgender issues or even just plain old sex or the people and parents who say, nope ,not in our schools?
You got 80 years on this earth if your lucky maybe we should all want to protect innocence for at least the first 8 years of life? Soon enough the kids who are gay or straight or trans will face these issues .
Disney to me was stupid to weigh in on this issue because they alienate half their customers and Desantis who truly was the least tyrannical governor during COVID should know better not to use the state or his office to intimidate or retaliate against people speaking out about a law he passed. In this case I think both sides are idiots
Can’t wait for the $2800 tax bill so Desantis can impress chuds in the run up to his 2024 presidential campaign.
Is that a random guess or do you know the math for Disney's tax rev & operation costs that county will absorb? ...I can't find much online about what $ the RCID provides or costs Disney.
Orange County property appraiser estimates it will increase by the max millage rate allowed which I think is 20-25%. So may take a couple years. Estimates are between 2200-2800 per household.
They arent paying extra for nothing, they are paying extra for convenience. They dont have to get city council approval and things of that nature if they want to build a new structure, rd etc.
Super Trumper Jenna Ellis is now calling out Desantis. It is going to be interesting to see how this ends up playing out in Republican circles. No matter what you think about Disney or the deal that was in place, the idea a governor should punish people who criticize him isnt going to go over well with people who truly believe in a limited government. I am interested to see if/when Trump comments on this what he has to say.
The Orange County appraiser is trying to make it look as scary as possible because the county is scared to death of having to grow its services. That’s a lot of work for government bureaucrats.
