"Disney has gotten away with special deals from the state of Florida for way too long.... Disney thought they ruled Florida. They even tried to attack me to advance their woke agenda."
Said Ron DeSantis, quoted in "Disney to Lose Special Tax Status in Florida Amid ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Clash/Lawmakers in the state voted to revoke the company’s special designation following a dispute with Gov. Ron DeSantis over a new education law" (NYT).
Disney employs 38 lobbyists in Florida’s capital. Each election cycle, the company gives generous campaign contributions to Florida candidates on both sides of the political aisle. Its theme park mega-resort near Orlando attracts around 50 million visitors a year, powering a Central Florida tourism economy that annually generates more than $5 billion in local and state tax revenue. The upshot: Disney usually gets whatever it wants in Florida. That era ended on Thursday, when the Florida House voted to revoke Disney World’s designation as a special tax district — a privilege that Disney has held for 55 years, effectively allowing the company to self-govern its 25,000-acre theme park complex.
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41 comments:
"a privilege that Disney has held for 55 years, effectively allowing the company to self-govern its 25,000-acre theme park complex."
While I love watching Disney get their comeuppance, from a governance stand point it probably makes sense for Disney to maintain their own property. It have to see the details.
Now lets go address the infinite copyright period. That's the big subsidy to the media conglomerates.
The NYT, per usual, missed the most important fact. Disney will now lose hundreds of millions in tax breaks. It will now have to pay local political subdivisions.
The stupid CEO caved to a few woke radical employees. It will cost DIS big bucks. I heard a report today on CNBC that Bob Iger might be brought back. "If Bob Iger was still CEO, this wouldn't have happened."
Get woke, go broke.
All liberals world-wide:
That's it. I'm not voting for him!
Mess with the Bull you sometimes get the horns.
He meant "a woke pedophile corporation based in California". But that's OK. I hear the whistle.
"Disney to Lose Special Tax Status in Florida Amid ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Clash/Lawmakers in the state voted to revoke the company’s special designation following a dispute with Gov. Ron DeSantis over a new education law"
It must be nice to include one side's talking points in the headline of the article.
And don't tell me they're just reporting that one side said something. They purposely remove any reference to a dispute about the phrase from the headline everyone's going to read.
There is a reason Bob Iger (a staunch Democrat) was willing to give money to Republican politicians in Florida. It wasn't because he liked them. It's because he wanted to be sure Disney World could continue to be The Duchy of Grand Fenwick.
Getting into a political fight with the people you really need on your side is an incredibly stupid thing to do. All Disney had to do was just stay out the political fight. It's not like they were likely to actually change the law, so why get involved? This is just dumb.
They keep calling it the 'don't say gay' bill. It is not. And it's so tiresome of the NYT to play it up as such. It's bullshit.
I'm surprised, but not sorry, that our Gov has pulled this special district cover from Disney. Let the chips fall where they may. Disney should not have a say- not one minute of a say- on what a parent wants their kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, or 3rd grade kids to be having taught to them in the PUBLIC schools. My God. It's not the Disney Schools. It's not the LGBTQRST Schools. No one is being hurt by this. It is simply to keep the teachers on track to do what they're paid to do. Which is not to be an activist for the Confused Gender Cartel. And I don't even care if the teacher secretly wants to be a man or a woman. I don't care. They can keep it to themselves while they do their jobs. It doesn't belong in the classroom for small kids.
That Disney doesn't understand this is embarrassing, even for a California based company.
Don't even leave six for pallbearers.
I’ve read the sunk costs were in the $300M range, but I guess that’s tens of millions by some multiple…
I was reading articles about Disney being bad neighbors in Florida, with their sweetheart deal that benefited only them - thirty years ago. One stupid comment by their stupid CEO pushed them over the line.
"If Bob Iger was still CEO, this wouldn't have happened."
Except that Iger sided with the wokesters on this one. He said it was about right and wrong.
As a member of a family that has resided in Florida since the 1750's I'm here to tell you that Corporate Disney has ruined the State of Florida and particularly the once achingly lovely lake dotted small city of Orlando. It's unhealthy tourist generated tentacles now stretch from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico and have fostered toxic levels of unsustainable tourism. From a population of 3-ish million in 1972 to 22 million today I place the blame squarely on Disney and it's ilk - Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens et al. A pox upon them and thier descendants to the n-th generation. I could go on but I'm already looking for the Xanax... Arghhhh.
Good.
Next up -- private colleges and universities with their extensive tax exemptions.
Keep on keeping on.
Good!
If only all the special tax deals extended to powerful corporations by local, state and the federal governments were terminated!
What's strange is that Conservative Inc. is upset about Disney losing its Government granted privilages. Y'see "The magic of the Free Market" can't take place unless a Multi-Billion dollar Entainment corporation doesn't get special tax breaks and Government privilages.
Of course, the Dispatch Gang, the Bulwark Boys, and National Review are getting lots of wonderful big-tech cash. Maybe they're getting some sweet Disney cash too.
Also, notice that while TRump has been supportive, the DC republicans like Mitch McConnell, Mittens, McCarthy, etc. haven't said Boo about Disney supporting Groomers. That's because these R Senators and Congressmen are paid off by Disney.
Disney woke, and they definitly are NOT getting "Broke". They are feeling some pain because Republicans FINALLY used the power of the state to punish Disney. Sitting around thinking woke corporations magically get "broke" through the "Free Market" is dumb.
Perhaps Disney tourism isn't quite as important as it used to be since so many companies and people have relocated to Florida. Newly relocated companies have to adapt to local zoning - why not Disney? Especially if Disney is no longer Disney. And perhaps it isn't a good idea any more for Disney to have its own police. Two years from now we'll know. I saw the movie Muhlan and it seemed typical Disney but now I think I'd see transgender grooming thinly disguised in addition to silence about the Uighurs and other forms of China deference.
I don't have a problem with "special districts" generally. They are used by real estate developers all over the country. In a large residential subdivision the developer wants to retain voting control of the property for as long as possible--at least until it is "built out". At that point the residents can vote for whatever kinds of parks, street improvements they want--since they'll then be paying for it.
Walt Disney knew by the mid 60s that he'd made a mistake in not obtaining control of a good bit of the land around the original Disneyland in Anaheim. Many of the adjacent landowner were making huge profits selling to hotels, motels or other businesses that benefitted from the traffic to Disneyland. Walt was not going to make that mistake in Florida and let others get the "cream". .
25,000 acres is way more land than the actual footprint of Disney World. But if it was raw land (and it was) it could be developed along with Disney World. As the saying goes, if you build it, they will come. And come they did. And Disney controlled it--and profited from it--both inside and outside the park.
Fiftyfive years is a long time for "special breaks" to last. But arrogance and hubris are problems with a lot of CEOs. Why the Mouse had 38 lobbyists working full time in Florida to "keep the state and local legislators and city councilman sweet"--shouldn't that be enough to let Disney do whatever it wanted? Well--the answer proved to be "No".
Progress.
I was amazed at how lopsided the vote was in both house and senate. Not even close.
I guess the chance of getting called a groomer in an election year offsets all that sweet lobbyist cash.
Immigration, inflation, war etc. People do get passionate about those things.
BUT NOTHING like when they start fucking with our kids.
Disney is wounded now.
It might even be possible to get copyright reform.
One wonders what Carl Hiasson has to say about this.
The law does not take effect until mid 2023. Time to try to bring Disney to heel unless courts step in.
"Perhaps Disney tourism isn't quite as important as it used to be since so many companies and people have relocated to Florida."
The State still has the Disney tourism in any case. It's not like the Mouse Lord can just pack everything up in a couple of semi tractor trailers drive north to Georgia. They have a billion dollar investment that is a cash cow for the company. It just got a lot more inconvenient to run.
The media pushed Disney into doing this, thinking they could get them to do what they got MLB to do with the All Star game in Georgia. Of course, fate showed them how stupid that was, with the World Series going to Atlanta.
Disney should have taken that big message from above, and realized they should not fight the woke wars just because the activist press pushes them to.
Disney can't move to Georgia! Georgia has the Jim-Eagle-Worse-Than-Jim-Crow voting laws! I don't know what warm weather state is liberal enough for Disney to move to. Maybe the activists can help them settle in DC or New York. Or put both Disney Parks in California!! But not San Diego, obvs.
"Maybe the activists can help them settle in DC or New York."
The entire island of Manhattan is already a theme park called Escape from New York Land.
"The law does not take effect until mid 2023. Time to try to bring Disney to heel unless courts step in."
Why spend another moment on it? The decision has been taken. Move on with the people's business.
Headline I'd love to see: In response to Disney's opposition to the "Don't Say Gay" bill, the FL Legislature passes the "Fuck Disney in the Ass" bill.
I love how Progressives are so upset that DeSantis is going to make the CORPORATION Disney pay it's fair share.
"If Bob Iger was still CEO, this wouldn't have happened."
Are you sure about that? I read in the WSJ that an old tweet from Iger inspired the woke employees: "But inspired by an earlier tweet from former CEO Bob Iger, Disney employees went into open rebellion. Soon Mr. Chapek was groveling to his underlings and calling Florida’s bill a 'challenge to basic human rights.'"
The rot runs deep in the Magic Kingdom. I recognize that you are quoting someone, but I doubt Iger would have done much different. He caused the problem. This was cooked up and pushed by woke employees. As WSJ says, "The Walt Disney Co. needs Florida more than Florida needs Walt Disney. That’s the latest chapter in this tale of a CEO who followed his woke staff like a lemming off the cliff of cultural politics."
It is clear Disney is at the mercy of the State of Florida.
What are they going to do? Move out?
Reminds me of a friend. She was married to a farmer, and I noticed a new house going up. I congratulated them on the new construction. She confided in me her dad was paying for the house, but the ground was owned the Husbands family. She claimed she had considered what a divorce would look like, but decided they never would. Still married but all the kids are gone, and all is not happy. Poor decisions.
Disney is in the same squeeze.While While Disney own the land, it is still in Florida. Where else could they set up a park grossing $5billion a year? Texas?
DeSantis to Disney: Are you a man or a mouse?"
@Chris Lopez 5:12 PM: "Except that Iger sided with the wokesters on this one. He said it was about right and wrong."
Well, that's true in a way, it is about right and wrong: Iger thought he was right, but he was wrong.
Disney is my neighbor. I live in Central Florida and until recently worked in Kissimmee within rock throwing distance of the "Rat that ate Orlando". Disney is a bad neighbor. The sprawl from Disney and its assorted hotels and other tourist traps has eaten most of Orange and Osceola county. When I was a kid, 40 some years ago, Kissimmee was mostly cows. Now it's a godawful mess of traffic, sprawl and congestion. I-4 is a parking lot most days. It's poetic justice if Disney is going to have to deal with the moronic Jerry Demings (Democratic Mayor of Orange county). Orange county taxes are through the roof, mainly because of Disney. Hopefully their assessments make a nice hole in their profit margin.
Incidentally, right after Disney switched from having tickets for each ride, a park pass for a day was about $12. Now it's $109 a day for residents, with blackout days on most popular days off when you can't go unless you pay extra. They actually have programs where you can essentially do a layaway to pay off the tickets.
Disney is my neighbor. I live in Central Florida and until recently worked in Kissimmee within rock throwing distance of the "Rat that ate Orlando". Disney is a bad neighbor. The sprawl from Disney and its assorted hotels and other tourist traps has eaten most of Orange and Osceola county. When I was a kid, 40 some years ago, Kissimmee was mostly cows. Now it's a godawful mess of traffic, sprawl and congestion. I-4 is a parking lot most days. It's poetic justice if Disney is going to have to deal with the moronic Jerry Demings (Democratic Mayor of Orange county). Orange county taxes are through the roof, mainly because of Disney. Hopefully their assessments make a nice hole in their profit margin.
Incidentally, right after Disney switched from having tickets for each ride, a park pass for a day was about $12. Now it's $109 a day for residents, with blackout days on most popular days off when you can't go unless you pay extra. They actually have programs where you can essentially do a layaway to pay off the tickets.
Of course Florida law says that dissolution of a special district requires the votes of the residents of the district ... so it's all going away once Disney sues.
This whole thing is right wing virtue signaling .... and man is it working well for that purpose.
Mark said...
Of course Florida law says that dissolution of a special district requires the votes of the residents of the district
Gee, Mark, what part of "Florida law" says that "Florida law can't be changed?
Readering said...
The law does not take effect until mid 2023. Time to try to bring Disney to heel unless courts step in.
Wow, Readering ALMOST got something right!
The laws says that the 6 Improvement Districts created before the Florida Constitution changed in 1968 all have to resubmit their applications to be Improvement Districts. Any that is not renewed by 6/1/23 THEN loses its status.
So, what can Disney do:
1: Admit that they screwed up, and start sucking up to FL GOP again
2: Fight like hell to beat the FL GOP, get horribly crushed, and then have to suck up even harder next year
3: Decide that supporting freaks grooming 5 year olds for gay sex is more important than the Improvement District, and accept that they're going to lose it in a year unless they can get the Courts to bail them out.
IIRC, the FL SC has 7 Republicans, and 0 Democrats, on it now, so their only hope is that 5 members of SCOTUS will decide they really like grooming 5 year olds, too
This November is going to be a horrible year for the Democrats. 52% of FL Democrat voters polled supported the Parent's Rights in Education law (which the Left dishonestly calls the "Don't Say Gay" law)
https://floridianpress.com/2022/03/new-poll-52-of-florida-democrat-voters-back-dont-say-gay-bill/
Disney has NO chance of winning this fight, which is good, because they're completely in the wrong.
Chapek is either going to start firing the Iger left over executives who are pushing the fight, and then keep on working his way down the hierarchy, firing people until the rest get a clue, or Disney is going to get screwed to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
IIRC, they're spread across 4 counties. With the best of good will by all 4 counties, they're still going to get screwed if they lose their Improvement District.
"They'll move"? Where?
Which child grooming loving Democrat State that's within easy range of East Coast families is going to sell Disney enough land, at a cheap enough price, so they can replicate Disney World there?
And which State will then let them actually build, without 20+ years of environmental lawsuits?
Who's going to want to put up with the traffic Disney World will bring?
One of the reasons why people go to Disney World is because there's a whole bunch of parks there. Is Universal going to move to Disney's new location, too? Or are all the other parks going to stay where they are?
how much money does Disney make off of Disney World each year? They can either write that all off, or they can cave.
It will be interesting to see just how siucidal Disney management is, and just how suicidal stockholders will let them be
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