Florida lawmakers to discuss takeover of Disney self-governing district

[Breccia]

Move? As in, move the whole of Disney out of Florida? That sounds kinda expensive. Like Trump Wall expensive. Florida would shit bricks should that happen, though.

Shutting down or moving would be either last resorts, or extremely risky bluffs. It should be done if Florida is basically trying to gut them without losing any state income. But it is an option, and Florida knows it.

[Kaleredar]

@Santti

If I were a business that operated around the globe and one uppity state like Florida thought they could threaten my business within their state for doing something 100% legal as well as ethical (Not that company cares about ethics but the extra gall of it) and what my customers want and could hurt me nationally and globally if I didn't.

Even if I had invested a fortune in that state, I would wind down my operations and move out, even if they backtracked because they have shown what they intend if they had the influence and in the future they just might. Furthermore, as a company, I know if I bow to them or do nothing, I open the door to other cities/counties/states to attempt the same the moment they think they have leverage and want to follow their lead.

Long term, it would be in Disney's best interests to move given this and would give them a good deal more support on their public image if they did. Even if it took years and cost them in the short term. Similar to how many military bases would start winding down many operations and moving soldiers out if they started with their any LGBTQ+ laws that would hurt military readiness.

Disney can be pretty evil, they aren't stupid and they aren't short sighted.

Disney ain't going anywhere. You can't just "build a Disneyland" somewhere, let alone the four parks and tens of thousands of acres they own. They were there before DeSantis, and they'll be there after. They'll shrug it off and continue business as usual. Because this move is going to cost the taxpayers of Florida money, not Disney itself.

But the taxpayers of Florida will never see it, at least not directly in the form of a "Tax increase because Desantis deferred Disney's costs onto you" charge on the paycheck, which means most people wont notice. The cost of housing will continue to rise, as will prices of goods, which will get blamed on Biden/the democrats, all while Florida's red policies ensure protections for workers and things like minimum wage and rent control remain minimal. Florida will make up for any paucity in government funding by largely silently soliciting more money from the federal government, all while bitching about welfare states and socialism.

DeSantis is like a tick on the foot of the Disney Elephant. Even if the elephant notices, it wont really care. But you're suggesting cutting off the leg to show the tick "the elephant means business." The elephant cares far more about its leg than it does about the tick, even if it continues to parasitize them.


Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Disney should just take this sitting down. It'd be great if they vocally came out about Desantis, became more vocally supportive of the things they're supporting that Desantis doesn't like, and started to actively and publicly support candidates around Florida that ran antithetical to him. That's what people should be getting on them about for not doing, not some nonsensical hope that they cut the billions of dollars of assets they have sitting in Florida and invest hundreds of millions more to build it somewhere else.

[Fugus]

@Kaleredar

I know you can't just build another Disney, they aren't Walmart but also, this isn't their only place.

And this move could very much hurt Disney's image if the state took it over. Look at the roads in and around Disney compared to the roads outside of it. Disney maintains their stuff to a level far beyond what the state of Florida does for their other stuff expressly because that is part of their image and the experience they are trying to sell. That can cost them long term business when people come out there to see some Jacksonville level roads as time rolls on.

Your elephant analogy is off, the entire state of Florida is a tick on the elephant that is Disney, Disney wouldn't be cutting off its leg, it would be picking the flee off and discarding it before it gives him lime disease or worse because he ignored it.

And Disney closing up and moving, I wasn't talking about it being an overnight thing, like over the course of a decade as the work they have done will take years before they fall apart again after Florida took it over.

Overall, I see the smart idea for Disney at this point would be to start floating that they are looking to move operations elsewhere and taking their jobs with it and making it very publicly known WHY they were doing it. Don't actually start moving or anything, just start inquiring into properties in states outside of Florida while also making sure to start funding Democrats within Florida to remove the tick that is attacking them for both doing the right thing and following the will of their customers as they follow the money.

Put Florida Republican's in the hot box of knowing they are messing with a company that they don't have by the balls, they can both leave and take the entire state down with them or fund their opposition with an overwhelming around of money to remove them. Force them to realize that they aren't the biggest player in the room in this one. Their voters will be against them with funding for days if they want to play that game.

And if Florida pushes on thinking Disney is bluffing, Disney needs to call that bluff and do so publicly.

Edit:

The last thing Disney needs for its image would be for their Florida branch to start looking like DollyWood around the place because the place wasn't maintained to Disney's standards but instead to whatever standard Florida wanted to do there.

[Kaleredar]

@Kaleredar

I know you can't just build another Disney, they aren't Walmart but also, this isn't their only place.

Disneyworld makes them far more money than Disneyland does.

And this move could very much hurt Disney's image if the state took it over. Look at the roads in and around Disney compared to the roads outside of it. Disney maintains their stuff to a level far beyond what the state of Florida does for their other stuff expressly because that is part of their image and the experience they are trying to sell. That can cost them long term business when people come out there to see some Jacksonville level roads as time rolls on.

And I'm sure the state of Florida will be more than happy to let Disney keep footing the bill on that type of upkeep, or respond a little more quickly in sending road crews to respond to Disney's complaints about potholes or rough roads than they do to the complains of Billy Joe Bob out in bumfuck swampland.

Rich communities within counties already see things like more diligent maintenance upkeep, more favorable city planning, and quicker responses from officials. Because they're rich. Why would this cash cow be any different moving forwards?

Your elephant analogy is off, the entire state of Florida is a tick on the elephant that is Disney, Disney wouldn't be cutting off its leg, it would be picking the flee off and discarding it before it gives him lime disease or worse because he ignored it.

Disney isn't so ultra-wealthy that it can plop down theme parks as it pleases. The Disneyworld complex, the 25,000 acres it sits on, the four theme parks its comprised of... those things are basically irreplaceable. Hence losing them being akin to losing a leg. And you've not listed any actual deleterious effect to Disney as a company in any metric they care about: the money going into their pockets.

And Disney closing up and moving, I wasn't talking about it being an overnight thing, like over the course of a decade as the work they have done will take years before they fall apart again after Florida took it over.

Overall, I see the smart idea for Disney at this point would be to start floating that they are looking to move operations elsewhere and taking their jobs with it and making it very publicly known WHY they were doing it. Don't actually start moving or anything, just start inquiring into properties in states outside of Florida while also making sure to start funding Democrats within Florida to remove the tick that is attacking them for both doing the right thing and following the will of their customers as they follow the money.

Disney buys up land secretly, because they know the moment they say they want to build another Disneyland somewhere the property values they'd have to pay skyrocket. That's why they did it when they were buying up land for Disneyworld, and that's what they did when they were planning on building a theme park in Virginia in the 90s. The last three Disney parks they built, Japan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, were all basically financed by their respective governments or seperate ultra-wealthy corporate interests in those countries. That's not something that's going to happen in the US.

And like I said, Disney should be supporting candidates that are antithetical to the current GOP leadership in Florida. But they, like most large corporations, like the low employee protection, low minimum wage, low-taxation friendly, corporate-coddling stances of republican candidates more than they probably actually care about supporting LGBTQ+ rights or minorities in any large scale, government shifting way. Which is a criticism that should be levied at both Desantis and co. AND Disney moving forwards. All this talk of "them moving Disneyworld" is empty faff.

Put Florida Republican's in the hot box of knowing they are messing with a company that they don't have by the balls, they can both leave and take the entire state down with them or fund their opposition with an overwhelming around of money to remove them. Force them to realize that they aren't the biggest player in the room in this one. Their voters will be against them with funding for days if they want to play that game.

It would be nice to do that.

But Disney wont.

And if Florida pushes on thinking Disney is bluffing, Disney needs to call that bluff and do so publicly.

Disney doesn't care about the politics or "saving face" or "scoring political points." They care about money flowing into their pockets, as any mega-corporation does.

The last thing Disney needs for its image would be for their Florida branch to start looking like DollyWood around the place because the place wasn't maintained to Disney's standards but instead to whatever standard Florida wanted to do there.

And Florida wont let that happen. The tick isn't going to let the elephant die.

[Shadowferal]

Disney doesn't have to do much beyond waiting it out. The opposition within the gop will do their fighting for them.

[Darththeo]

Yeah, Florida needs that Disney money, being the leech of a state it is.

Nah, they'll just demand more Federal money to make up for it and pretend they are somehow not dependent on other states.

[Poopymonster]

I read somewhere with the changing of the Bob's at Disney, new Bob is more receptive to DeSatan and his policies.
That might have been on Dunning-Kruger national park though.

[Breccia]

So, how's the bigly yuge victory DeSantis got over "woke" Disney?

(checks news)

Oh...badly.

It was not a total victory for Mr. DeSantis, who originally wanted to eliminate more of Disney’s privileges by revoking Disney World’s designation as a special tax district. That status had effectively allowed Disney to self-govern the 25,000-acre resort since its founding. The district serves as a de facto county.

“I will not allow a woke corporation based in California to run our state,” Mr. DeSantis said last year. “Disney has gotten away with special deals from the State of Florida for way too long.”

The Legislature went along with Mr. DeSantis until it realized there was a problem. The abolishment of the district — set for June 1, 2023 — would require taxpayers in Orange and Osceola Counties to pick up the tab for Disney World services like fire protection, policing and road maintenance. Under the old setup, Disney paid for those costs.

Oops.

The district also carried roughly $1 billion in debt. If the district had been abolished, that debt would have been transferred to the counties.

Double oops.

Now, I think some of you mentioned those issues before. Good. Why didn't Florida legislators know about those? Was it because this was all about owning the libs and realizing that "owning" takes several meanings?

Naturally, the man who's pretending not to run for President yet showed the world his negotiation skills:

So the Legislature tried again, taking up a new Disney World measure in a special session that started on Monday. This time, Disney would be allowed to keep the special tax district — which never went away — and almost all its perks, including the ability to issue tax-exempt bonds and approve development plans without scrutiny from certain local regulators. But Disney would no longer be able to appoint the five members of the tax district’s board. Florida’s governor would get to do that.

Now, Disney isn't walking out of this 100% intact. Apparently, they used to be able to ignore state building regulations and just use their own. And the tax board can now levy taxes Disney must pay, outside of Disney, such as roads leading to Disney. But overall, Disney is walking away from this mostly intact.

"Ah, but DeSantis can stop Disney from being tolerant and accepting of LBGT people! Just like God intended."

First, dude, have you even read the Bible?

But second, no. No, he can't.

The board does not have the power to dictate the content that Disney offers to its customers.

"Okay...but! He can stop them from expanding!"

Maybe, but, he went the other way on that one.

The tax district’s comprehensive plan, which was recently updated and approved, already gives Disney the ability to build a fifth theme park, two additional water parks and thousands of hotel rooms on 850 acres. (The company has indicated no plans to do so.) The plan extends until 2032.

"But...but...okay, but he can stop them from building a nuclear power plant!"

...dude, this isn't Fallout 4. Why would Disney want a nuclear power plant? They clearly have all the power they need and, unlike Elon Musk, they pay for it.

"I just...I just wanted to find a way to twist this into DeSantis winning and Disney losing!"

Well, keep trying.

[The Stormbringer]

@Breccia To be fair, Disney building a nuclear power plant would be kind of awesome. I'm all for more nuclear energy.

[Gelannerai]

"But...but...okay, but he can stop them from building a nuclear power plant!"

...dude, this isn't Fallout 4. Why would Disney want a nuclear power plant? They clearly have all the power they need and, unlike Elon Musk, they pay for it.

"I just...I just wanted to find a way to twist this into DeSantis winning and Disney losing!"

Well, keep trying.

I mean, preaching to the choir and all, but anyone who legit thought that was a possibility is a freaking imbecile. One pissant governor from one pissant state taking on a company like Disney is one of the most “tugging on Superman’s cape” things I can think of.

[Kathandira]

Really want to see him try this and for Disney to respond by pulling out entirely and moving the tourism to other states that aren't so eager to strong arm them. It's a sad day when you have someone who makes Disney out to be the good guys.

I'm sure we can clear some land around the NY/NJ border for a new Disney Land. Our governments would be more than happy to support their ideals.

[Edge-]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/polit...btq/index.html

So how's the new board going?

An appointee to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new oversight board in control of Disney’s special tax district called homosexuality “evil” last year and shared a baseless conspiracy theory that tap water could be making more people gay.

Oh...so...very Florida. Surely this is just a simple miscommunication, right?

“So why are there homosexuals today? There are any number of reasons, you know, that are given. Some would say the increase in estrogen in our societies. You know, there’s estrogen in the water from birth control pills. They can’t get it out,” Peri baselessly said in a January 2022 Zoom discussion, later put on YouTube. “The level of testosterone in men broadly in America has declined by 50 points in the past 10 years. You know, and so, maybe that’s a part of it.”

Oh...oh no.

“But the big part I would suggest to you, based upon what it’s saying here, is the removal of constraint,” he continued. “So our society provided the constraint. And so, which is the responsibility of a society to constrain people from doing evil? Well, you remove the constraints, and then evil occurs.”

This...sounds a lot like he hates freedom?

Peri has also said that LGBTQ people “don’t have a stake in the future” because many do not have children, and he called gay people “deviant.”

Again, how extremely on-brand for Florida Republicans to decide that they want a conspiratorial, homophobic bigot overseeing the Disney district the state just took over because Ron got triggered.

[Mekh]

“The level of testosterone in men broadly in America has declined by 50 points in the past 10 years. You know, and so, maybe that’s a part of it.”

What's 50 points of testosterone? Is that like the 200 points from jumping on a turtle and 1000 from eating a mushroom? Because that doesn't sound too bad.

[Poopymonster]

What's 50 points of testosterone? Is that like the 200 points from jumping on a turtle and 1000 from eating a mushroom? Because that doesn't sound too bad.

I work for a Doctor, I see lots of reports about patients vitals and such, and I'm the monster doing patient charts.
I see a LOT of blood work daily.
50 points is a lot/little depending on age and biology.
Younger people 50 is a lot.
Female people of all ages 50 a a shitload.
Male adult people, 50 sounds scary.
Adults males, the average should be in the range of 260ish to 900ish off the top of my head.
There are a lot things that can influence that number, weight being a big one.
No pun intended.

EDIT: Found a link for values so it doesn't look like I'm pulling Tucker out of my Trump.
EDIT 2: Had to log off my employer's "Provider" account so no doxing Poopy.

Labcorp to the rescue!

[Xyonai]

And there are reports of microplastics in our water and food fucking with testosterone in men, but that would require Republicans to do three things they are utterly incapable of doing:

Acknowledging the actual causes of our issues rather than making them up, regulating businesses beyond yelling at them to be less woke, and giving a shit about the environment.

[Shadowferal]

And there are reports of microplastics in our water and food fucking with testosterone in men, but that would require Republicans to do three things they are utterly incapable of doing:
Acknowledging the actual causes of our issues rather than making them up, regulating businesses beyond yelling at them to be less woke, and giving a shit about the environment.

...and they lack the testicular fortitude, amirite?

[Breccia]

"shared a baseless conspiracy theory that tap water could be making more people gay."

Oh, and it gets worse, somehow.

First, let's not forget who's in charge of the Florida tap water. DeSantis.

Second, the tap water of Florida apparently hosts brain-eating amoebas.

"What's a brain-eating amoeba doing in Florida?"

Starving.

A man in south Florida died from a brain-eating infection last month after using tap water during sinus rinses, according to FOX 4.

The man, who has not been named but was identified as a resident of Charlotte County, died on Feb. 20, three days before the county health department issued a public alert about the infection.

DOH-Charlotte reported one case involving Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic single-celled living amoeba, on Feb. 23. The department said infection is rare and can only happen when water contaminated with the amoeba enters through the nose, stressing that it cannot be contracted by drinking tap water.

The amoeba can cause an infection of the brain known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) – a condition that does not have any known effective treatments.

"So, like, being sprayed by a water fountain?"

I guess?

"Which Disney is full of?"

Well, beyond that, Florida is also full of swimming areas and...yeah.

Last summer, then 13-year-old Caleb Ziegelbauer contracted a possible brain-eating amoeba while swimming at Port Charlotte Beach Park, which is in Charlotte County, Florida.

Though his case has not been confirmed by the CDC as the Naegleria fowleri infection, his medical team reportedly believes that's what it was. As of last week, he is still alive and remains on the road to recovery.

"Is that FOX News?"

Yes, and +1 CNN point for me.

"Is the best take FOX News could come up with 'he is still alive' after nine months? Like, they're forced to acknowledge that the kid was sick for most of a year with brain parasites and came up with 'DeSantis hasn't killed him yet'?"

I guess?

Anyhow, it seems DeSantis is putting more emphasis on tap water making you gay, than tap water killing you. Gotta love those GOP priorities.

[Mekh]

"What's a brain-eating amoeba doing in Florida?"

Starving.

Fun fact: that stuff is so exciting, it was the solution on House twice.

[RampageBW1]

Well, to a homophobic conservative, it's probably better dead than gay. And probably thinks everyone else around him/her thinks the same way.

But isn't the conspiracy theory that the water at Disney was full of estrogen? You know, the hormones found in women? So shouldn't the conspiracy be that the water will turn boys in to girls, not that it makes you attracted people of the same sex?

Then again, it wouldn't surprise me that homophobes are complete morons.

[Sunseeker]

First they came for Disney...