Florida lawmakers to discuss takeover of Disney self-governing district

[Nymrohd]

Why not just skip the intermediary steps and just build an underground prison? Follows the height regulations, and, I have to imagine, swamp soil is inconducive to digging escape tunnels.

It's not conducive to digging in general so kind of hard to build several floors underground without everyone getting buried in mud during the process.

[Shadowferal]

It's not conducive to digging in general so kind of hard to build several floors underground without everyone getting buried in mud during the process.

Well, if prison labor is used...yes, I'm kidding

[Poopymonster]

"Everyone said I was daft to build a prison on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, folks, the strongest prison in all of Florida."

Why evacuate the prisoners when then the prison starts to sink? Well fine, all but Death Row.
/s

THE IRS HATES THIS ONE TRICK!
You get to build it, write off construction, you get paid to house people in shitty conditions, when it sinks you can write off the loss, repeat!

[Rasulis]

Part of Iger's Q2 earnings speech.

“Regarding Florida, I have a few things I want to say about that bill. First of all, the case that we filed last month made our position and the facts very clear. This is about one thing and one thing only, and that’s retaliating against us for taking a position about pending legislation. And we believe that in us taking that position, we are merely exercising our right to free speech. Also, this is not about special privileges, or a level playing field, or Disney in any way using its leverage around the state of Florida.”

“But since there’s been a lot said about special districts and the arrangement that we had, I want to set the record straight on that, too. There are about 2,000 special districts in Florida, and most were established to foster investment in development. We were one of them. It basically made it easier for us, and others by the way, to do business in Florida. And we built a business that employs, as we’ve said before, over 75,000 people and attracts tens of millions of people to the state.

“So while it’s easy to say that the Reedy Creek special district, which was established for us over 50 years ago, benefited us, it’s misleading to not also consider how much Disney benefited the state of Florida. And we’re not the only company operating a special district. I mentioned the Daytona Speedway has one, a prominent retirement community the Villages, and there are countless others. So if the goal here is leveling the playing field and the uniform application of the law, government oversight of special districts needs to occur or be applied to all special districts.”

I just want to add, RCID has the best and cleanest roads in Florida. Even more incredible when you consider that these are heavily used with lots of wears and tears 50 years old facilities. Has anybody heard of any infrastructure or building failure/collapse within RCID's jurisdiction?

[Karreck]

isnt disney prison just working on one of the cruise ships?

Short answer, yes.
Long answer, also yes.

[jonnysensible]

Short answer, yes.
Long answer, also yes.

heres a man who has seen things he can't unsee (at sea)

[Breccia]

Part of Iger's Q2 earnings speech.

The next paragraph was also good.

I think it’s also important for us to say our primary goal has always been to be able to continue to do exactly what we have been doing there, which is investing in Florida. We are proud of the tourism industry that we created and we want to continue delivering the best possible experience for guests going forward. We never wanted—and we certainly never expected—to be in the position of having to defend our business interests in federal court, particularly having such a terrific relationship with the state as we have had for more than 50 years. We employ thousands of people and, by the way, we pay them above the minimum wage, substantially above the minimum wage, dictated by the state of Florida. We also provide them with great benefits and free education. So, I’m going to finish what is obviously kind of a long answer by asking one question: does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes—or not?

In response, DeSantis started hiding his travel logs.

With the security situation, how you do patterns of movements if you're somebody that is targeted—which unfortunately I am, and I get a lot of threats—that could be something that could be helpful for people that may not want to do good things

"Oh my God! Who threatened him?"

He didn't say.

"How many times?"

He didn't say.

"Is it more or less than last year?"

He didn't say.

"Is this just so he can meet Republicans to discuss 2024 or taking swings at Disney without the press finding out?"

Yes.

[gondrin]

Never say never.

Disney is in Florida, in part, because of the fiscal bedrock they're built on. If DeSantis is able to get it to crumble, they have little reason to stay.

Why do you switch phone plans, if you have to pay a setup fee to do it? Because the new plan is long-term cheaper, or because the new service is better. You don't do it for 5 cents, but you migth do it for $20 a month.

Disney has a dollar figure in mind. They just haven't gotten there yet.

If DeSantis continues to try to remove all reasons for Disney to stay, and is successful, they might actually bail. I'm sure there are states that'd love to have a massive theme park that aren't so opposed to treating homosexuals like human beings.

People don't think Disney would move because of the amount of investment they have put into the area they are in but, as you said, if their investment starts to go south and it just isn't worth it to maintain anymore, they could easily rebuild with all new buildings in the exact same designs(or improved designs for some of the older buildings) somewhere else for, well, not all that much money as far as Disney is concerned.

And yes, there would be a LOT of places that would LOVE to have Disney move to them and honestly, I am pretty sure that a LOT of people would love not to have to go into the middle of a swamp and sweat 15 lbs of water out of themselves when at the parks, which reminds me to make sure to bring a LOT of water with me as I am going to be visiting all 4 parks in Florida starting Monday.

- - - Updated - - -

So, what does DeSantis and his cronies think the most dangerous thing is in Florida that needs inspecting? The Disney Monorail. Because of, you know, one accident that ended in a death almost 15 years ago.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/new...3479dd47&ei=19

Ron DeSantis signs bill allowing Florida to shut down Disney World's monorail

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed S.B. 1250, a general transportation bill that subjects Disney World’s iconic monorail to inspections and possible shutdowns. The newly signed law is just the latest move that the DeSantis administration has made against Disney over the media corporation’s opposition to the state’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law.

The bill allows state officials to inspect and shut down the company’s monorail and “fixed-guideway transportation systems… to ensure safety and welfare” for passengers and inspectors.

While the law doesn’t specifically mention Disney, its provisions only apply to fixed-guideway transportation systems “located within an independent special district created by local act which have boundaries within two contiguous counties.” Only Disney’s monorail and its newly-constructed Disney Skyliner gondola tram fit the bill’s description, The Hill reported.

Historically, Disney has been allowed to inspect and maintain its own transportation systems. The Orlando theme park unveiled its 15-mile monorail in 1971. It has only had a half-dozen incidents during its history, including a 2009 crash that killed a 21-year-old driver and several non-lethal crashes and fires, WFTV reported.

State Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R) said that the new law has been “long overdue” since the monorail’s lethal 2009 crash, Florida Politics reported.

“I want to make sure when I’m on the monorail that the monorail is safe,” DiCeglie said while discussing the law on the Senate floor. “I want to know that this great state and the great folks at Florida Department of Transportation are inspecting these just like they do the other monorails.”

Disney recently sued DeSantis and other Florida officials over their alleged “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company criticized Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Disney says the DeSantis administration’s retaliation violated the company’s right to free speech — the company’s claims are seemingly backed up by admissions DeSantis made in his own recently published autobiography.

After Disney spoke out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, DeSantis continuously criticized the company in public, and Florida’s Republican-led legislature revoked Disney’s decades-old special zoning agreement that allowed the company to oversee its 25,000-acre property near Orlando.

In February, DeSantis signed a bill abolishing the district and then appointed a five-member board to oversee Disney’s district. One of the board members is an ally of the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms For Liberty. Another is Ron Peri, an anti-LGBTQ+ pastor who believes women on birth control urinate estrogen into tap water, making anyone who drinks the water likely to turn gay, CNN noted.

However, the board’s appointees quickly learned that the previous board sneaked in a last-minute development agreement with Disney, allowing it to maintain much of its autonomy and rendering the new board rather powerless. After the board voted to undo the agreement, Disney sued, and the board counter-sued.

DeSantis has also threatened to build a prison next to Disney and called for state oversight of Disney World’s rides. His revenge quest has caused him to be ridiculed by a local paper for declaring “thermonuclear war on a cartoon mouse.” He has also been mocked by Saturday Night Live for having married his wife at Disney World in 2009.

This week, Disney CEO Bob Iger lashed out at the Florida government’s vendetta against the company. Disney, Iger said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, paid over $1.1 billion in local and state taxes last year and is “the largest taxpayer in Central Florida.” He said the company was planning to invest $17 billion in Florida over the next 10 years, “which is what the state should want us to do.”

“One question,” Iger asked during the call. “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes — or not? We’ve built a business that employs, as we’ve said before, over 75,000 people and attracts tens of millions of people to the state.”

On a side note, congressional Republicans are also looking to allow aircraft to fly over Disney World AND Disneyland. Because, you know, reasons.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/05/...s-theme-parks/

Congressional Republicans push bill to abolish the no-fly zones over Disney’s theme parks

Congressman Troy Nehls (R-TX) has reintroduced the Airlines Independent of Restrictions (AIR) Act, a federal bill seeking to abolish the no-fly zones that currently exist over Disney’s theme parks.

These zones are established over both Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. They were set up in 2003 after Disney lobbyists advocated for them to be added to a bill, seemingly in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks as a way to protect guests (though no other theme parks have them).

Proponents of abolishing the fly zones argue Disney does not deserve special treatment and also that the businesses of pilots who tow advertising banners have suffered from not being able to fly over Disney’s theme parks.

But it seems likely that the timing of Nehls introducing the bill is related to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) current feud with the company over its opposition to the state’s Don’t Say Gay law.

“The federal government should not grant special privileges and pick favorites for powerful well-connected companies like Disney,” Nehls said in a statement. “Measures designed to protect our national security and public safety should not be co-opted by corporations looking to gain.”

Since Disney spoke out against the Don’t Say Gay law, DeSantis and other Florida Republicans have sought to retaliate by stripping the corporation of its power and autonomy.

Nehls first introduced the AIR Act in June 2022, only a few months after Disney released a statement declaring that the Don’t Say Gay bill “should never have passed” and that the company’s goal was to get the law repealed.

Cosponsors of Nehls’s bill include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Gregory Steube (R-FL). The latter two also cosponsored a federal Don’t Say Gay bill in 2022.

This year, Steube also introduced the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,” which seeks to amend Title IX regulations so that “individuals whose biological sex at birth was male” cannot “participate in programs that are for women and girls.”

Disney is currently suing Gov. DeSantis, accusing him and other state officials of a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint.” The Republican-led effort, the lawsuit alleges, violates its constitutional rights to free speech and to conduct contracts without state legal interference.

Why won't anyone think of the advertisers? /s

[Edge-]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/b...e=articleShare

In March, Disney called Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida “anti-business” for his scorched-earth attempt to tighten oversight of the company’s theme park resort near Orlando. Last month, when Disney sued the governor and his allies for what it called “a targeted campaign of government retaliation,” the company made clear that $17 billion in planned investment in Walt Disney World was on the line.

“Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, said on an earnings-related conference call with analysts last week.

On Thursday, Mr. Iger and Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chairman, showed that they were not bluffing, pulling the plug on a nearly $1 billion office complex that was scheduled for construction in Orlando. It would have brought more than 2,000 jobs to the region, with $120,000 as the average salary, according to an estimate from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The project, known as the Lake Nona Town Center, was supposed to involve the relocation of more than 1,000 employees from Southern California, including most of a department known as Imagineering, which works with Disney’s movie studios to develop theme park attractions. Most of the affected employees complained bitterly about having to move — some quit — but Disney largely held firm, partly because of a Florida tax credit that would have allowed the company to recoup as much as $570 million over 20 years for building and occupying the complex.

When he announced the project in 2021, Mr. D’Amaro cited “Florida’s business-friendly climate” as justification.

Mr. D’Amaro’s tone in an email to employees on Thursday was notably different. He cited “changing business conditions” as a reason for canceling the Lake Nona project. “I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business,” Mr. D’Amaro said in the memo. He noted that $17 billion was still earmarked for construction at Disney World over the next decade — growth that would create an estimated 13,000 jobs. “I hope we’re able to,” he said.

Boy, are there consequences for targeting and harassing your states largest (or one of) employer?

It seems DeSantis and Florida are still in the FO part of FAFO.

[Breccia]

“I hope we’re able to,” he said.

And that's how they're going to keep phrasing it. "We're being set upon, we're the victim here. We want to help, but we're not allowed to."

Of course, that happens to be true.

[Paranoid Android]

Not a fan of Neo-Liberalism.

I guess if Disney or other business using money to change policy is the end result than that is where we are today. Generally they don't and want to just make money, which is why they seek tax haven, anti-worker states and just stfu. Gratz on Neo-Liberalism though!

[Lanrefni]

Republicans have managed to do the impossible and make me cheer for fucking Disney, this really is the worst damn time line.

[Rasulis]

Disney kills $1 billion development in Florida just days before DeSantis' expected presidential announcement

The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday scrapped its plans to build a nearly $1 billion campus in Florida, just as details leaked about Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' imminent presidential run.

The 2,000 jobs that were headed to Florida will now no longer be leaving Southern California where the entertainment company is headquartered.

Disney killed their Lake Nona HQ project.

[Goat7]

You ever been to FL? its a giant hell hole. its literally where ppl go to die

[s_bushido]

Gratz on Neo-Liberalism though!

Neo-liberalism > Fascism

Obviously.

I have no idea what the punchline of this particular piece of doomposting is even supposed to be. Yeah, the business practices of a company like Disney suck balls. So...that means we should cheer when fascist garbage blatantly tries to use the power of the government to strangle free expression? Ok, then...

[tehdang]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/b...e=articleShare



Boy, are there consequences for targeting and harassing your states largest (or one of) employer?

It seems DeSantis and Florida are still in the FO part of FAFO.

The article shows a mixed case, even just from within the article.

Chapek fathered and pushed the idea. Iger hated it. Chapek is gone and Iger is in. Guess what happened?

Employees that were to be moved as part of this didn’t want to. “Complained bitterly about having to move” just in the quoted section.

And Disney’s in the process of losing money. So Disney’s got reasons to cut costs, their employees hate being forced to move, and the current CEO didn’t like what the former one was doing. I wager any company would look at the above and choose for that basis alone.

[Rasulis]

And Disney’s in the process of losing money. So Disney’s got reasons to cut costs, their employees hate being forced to move, and the current CEO didn’t like what the former one was doing. I wager any company would look at the above and choose for that basis alone.

Need to be more precise. Disney+ is losing money and subscribers. Primarily in India when they lose the right to broadcast Indian Premier League (IPL) and ended up losing 4.6M subscribers. Disney+ also shed 300,000 customers in the US and Canada after it increased prices last December amid growing operating losses.

However, the Walt Disney Company reported a 13% increase in quarterly earnings to $21.8 billion. Profit and free cash flow tripled. Report is attached below.

The Walt Disney Company Reports Second Quarter and Six Months Earnings for Fiscal 2023

[Elegiac]

And Disney’s in the process of losing money. So Disney’s got reasons to cut costs

By... keeping the jobs in California, which you lot have been insisting is at imminent risk of economic decline due to high cost of business. Uh huh.

You know this reminds me of a fable about a fox who wants a bunch of grapes but due to being unable to reach them instead soothes his ego by telling himself that the grapes were probably losing money anyway so they aren't worth having.

[Breccia]

The article shows--

Funny, you seem to have missed all the articles about Trump being found liable for sexual battery. I did specifically and directly ask for your opinion, and

I was interested in your positions and asked for them

I think it's only fair for you to show other posters the same respect you're asking for yourself. Now, I know an upstanding, genuine posters such as your self isn't hiding out in other threads, saying things like "Disney is losing money" which @Rasulis demonstrated was objectively false, intentionally making inflammatory statements just to draw a response. My goodness, can you image? So perhaps you just missed the hundreds of hundreds of posts on the forums you visit routinely, plus of course the literal worldwide front-page headlines, by coincidence.

I'll give you a second chance. Well, technically, third. The Trump Megathread is right over there, with the dozens of posts you put there only a few weeks ago, so I know it's a topic you view positively and know where the thread is. How about you just pop over there, briefly express your opinion on the whole "Trump being found liable for sexual battery" thing, before you deal with the objectively lesser issue of "Disney losing money" which is false and "employees didn't want to be moved" which you didn't cite? It can't possibly take all that long, and would demonstrate to everyone watching how much of an honest, genuine, and responsible poster you are.

- - - Updated - - -

The mayor of Miami had some thoughts.

Look, he took an issue that was a winning issue that we all agreed on, which was parental rights for K through third-graders. And it looks like now it’s something that spite or maybe potentially a personal vendetta, which has cost the state now potentially 2,000 jobs in a billion-dollar investment

So, yeah, he's a Republican.

I mean, that’s the kind of stuff that Joe Biden does, you know, he canceled the Keystone pipeline and other pipelines out of spite that cost Americans 42,000 jobs

And (therefore) a liar. That 42,000 number has been discussed before.

And you know, one thing that he has in common with the president is he hasn’t spent much time in the private sector. And I wonder if that influences his thinking on some of this stuff

By the way, this dude is thinking of running for President. Which means we could have three Republicans running from their homes in Florida, each with various levels of governing success: mayor, governor, and traitor.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I think in the end based on DeSantis actions in other kinds of law, he and his supporters are prepared for the sacrifice of Disney worst case scenario, and those they likely feel support Disney.

Kind of like Russia and Communism were bad, until they entertained the idea it was Trump and someone with whom they approved of more than anything.

If I were DeSantis or his supporter my end game would go like this. Target Disney for everything evil and wrong in everyone's lives in Florida. characterize anyone who disagrees as being enemies or in a unpopular light over all.

At worst Disney will capitulate, fold like Budweiser and heel at DeSantis and his supporters demands. At best make a relationship so volatile go scorched earth, and transfer said property to _________________. Something more in line with the direction DeSantis is trying to guide Florida.