Disney World vs. DeSantis (Trial Scheduling Update)
Walt Disney World is suing Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) board members that the Florida Governor appointed. This post covers allegations of the lawsuit, plus developments from the meeting of the CFTOD that precipitated this litigation. (Updated June 28, 2023.)
It’s been a relatively quiet month in the battle of Disney vs. DeSantis, probably in part because the presidential aspirant is focusing his campaign on highly-educated and libertarian-leaning New Hampshire and culture wars don’t play as well there as, say, Iowa. In part, it’s also because the wheels of justice grind slowly, so there isn’t going to be big breaking news about this as often as, say, changes to the Genie+ service.
To the latter point, the court scheduling briefing is in for the lawsuit. Disney is requesting a trial date in July 2024, whereas DeSantis is seeking an August 2025 trial. Obviously, a year-plus gap is pretty significant. More notably, Disney’s date is in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, whereas the DeSantis date is after that. Let’s start by breaking that down…
First of all, neither of these requests are unreasonable. Given the complexity of the case and its many moving parts, Disney’s timeline is a bit aggressive or expedited, whereas DeSantis’s is a bit on the slow side–but neither request strikes me as glaringly atypical. Either way, this case will be brought to resolution faster than Disney has filled in EPCOT’s Giant Dirt Pit.
It’s a common refrain that the American justice system moves too slowly–and there’s certainly room for improvement. However, there’s also the reality that cases are more complex than they appear to laypeople, and there’s good reason for the methodical pace–especially when more than two parties are involved. Discovery, depositions, and other pretrial motions all take time to schedule and complete, and those 30-day response windows (assuming no motions to extend) quickly add up.
From my perspective, these requested trial dates simply reaffirm our past commentary about this case and the whole standoff between the state and Disney. The company wants this over as quickly as possible, as they “lose” the longer that the case drags on and continues to make headlines. We’ve already seen that with Disney’s Reputation Falling Further in public opinion polling.
By contrast, DeSantis likely wants to drag this fight out while it’s politically advantageous during the GOP primary. (Those in the pro-Disney “bubble” may underestimate just how well this is playing with Republican voters, with a clear majority supporting DeSantis in this battle against Disney per polling.)
However, that’s only true of polling among the base. If DeSantis ends up campaigning for the general election, he will pivot on this, as polling also shows that it’s a loser among the broader population. That means not trumpeting his fight with companies, and certainly trying to avoid headlines about being in court with them right during the heart of campaign season.
In my view, that’s what both of these scheduling requests reflect. Once again, it’s about optics above all else. Disney seeking an accelerated schedule is not necessarily conclusive of confidence in their case–it’s about wanting to put it in the rearview mirror as expeditiously as possible. DeSantis wanting to delay isn’t due to fears that he’ll fail in court–it’s about concerns that the case itself will damage his election prospects. (Aside from pride, winning or losing here is almost immaterial to him–there are no meaningful consequences.)
Prior to the scheduling development, this month’s other major development is that Judge Mark E. Walker recused himself. He disqualified himself due to a relative within the third degree of relationship owns thirty shares of stock in Disney. As a result, the case has been reassigned to Judge Allen C. Winsor. This is a meaningful development because Walker was generally viewed as more favorable to Disney based on recent decisions.
Additionally, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts filed its First Amended Complaint last month. In that, Disney argues that the recently-passed and signed into law Senate Bill 1604 was drafted such that it would target only contracts between Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) and the Walt Disney Company.
Disney contends that “Governor DeSantis and his allies have no apparent intent to moderate their retaliatory campaign any time soon,” and the amended complaint cites several (additional) instances of Florida politicians advancing the legislation voluntarily admitting that they were targeting Walt Disney World, punishing the company for its speech, and using them to set an example for other companies.
The amended complaint also takes aim at an amendment added to a Senate transportation bill (later substituted as House Bill 1305) that would give the state the ability to regulate, and even shut down, the Walt Disney World monorail system. “The proposed amendment was precision-engineered to target Disney alone…imposing state oversight over only those private monorail systems located ‘within an independent special district created by local act which have boundaries within two contiguous counties,” the lawsuit alleges. “Disney is the only company affected by House Bill 1305.”
Beyond the additional legislation, Disney pointed to statements made by DeSantis during a press conference commemorating the end of the Florida Legislative session. After being asked about how he was “handling” the Reedy Creek situation, without hesitation or prompting, Governor DeSantis admitted: “[T]his all started, of course,with our parents’ rights bill.”
The lawsuit further alleges that “Governor DeSantis trumpeted the unequivocal intent and perceived success of his retribution campaign: ‘Since our skirmish last year, Disney has not been involved in any of those issues. They have not made a peep. That, ultimately, is the most important, that Disney is not allowed to pervert the system to the detriment of Floridians.'”
In terms of commentary about the amended complaint, we’ll reiterate that the punishment is the point. It may seem like a comedy of errors with DeSantis and his allies are giving the game away with these dozens of public statements that they’re retaliating against Walt Disney World with this legislation as it weakens their legal position.
In reality, that’s the entire end game. Had Governor DeSantis woken up one day in early 2020 and come to the conclusion that RCID needed to be eliminated or replaced for some boring procedural or administrative reason, no one would have cared. Walt Disney World might have lobbied against it, and the local newspapers and fan-centric blogs would’ve picked up the story, but it would not be making the nightly news on a regular basis for over a year. The vast majority of the public wouldn’t hear about it, and probably wouldn’t have an opinion even if they did.
This is only making the mainstream news and raising the profile of Governor DeSantis because it’s controversial. There’s literally no other reason why this is a major story. The retaliatory angle and what people think of that, for better or worse, is it.
As noted in the amended complaint, DeSantis recently boasted about how Disney has “not made a peep” since the skirmish last year. That’s certainly a clever card for him to play, intimating that he’s won in the way that counts most. However, I suspect that he would actually far prefer Disney clumsily voicing opinions on more pending Florida legislation, as that would give him more red meat for the base. (And to be sure, Bob Iger has responded to DeSantis’s statements and actions, and the amended complaint’s allegations also serve as statements, but some of that is probably better left ignored.)
Turning back to the original complaint, we’ll start with the CFTOD meeting that precipitated Walt Disney World filing suit against the governor and board. During this meeting, the new district’s Board of Supervisors declared that the Development Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants entered into by and between the (former) Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts was void and unenforceable.
The new CFTOD board asserted that these agreements between Disney and RCID–which made national news for use of the “King Charles Clause” and other fanciful expressions–rendered them powerless to offer any oversight over Walt Disney World’s tourist district, effectively undermining their very name. They’ve repeatedly called these eleventh-hour, last-minute, or clandestine covenants that were made unlawfully, that they have numerous legal deficiencies, and were a subversion of the will of Florida voters, among many other claims.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors also approved the “Superior Authority” amendment at the same meeting today. This essentially does what the name suggests, giving the new board final decision-making authority for the District and declaring that no further administrative appeal is available for decisions made by said board.
The new board chair argued during the meeting that Disney was the one to pick this fight with his board,” and claimed that the board was not looking for a fight. But also that, factually and legally, what Disney created is an “absolute legal mess, and will not work.” With that, the board approved findings by its general counsel, declared the company’s February 8 agreements with RCID legally void and unenforceable, and moved to have them stricken from the public records of Osceola and Orange Counties.
That brings us to the juicier development, which is that Walt Disney Parks & Resorts has filed suit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In addition, also names Meredith Ivey, Acting Secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity; as well as Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board Members: Martin Garcia, Michael Sasso, Brian Aungst, Ron Peri, Bridget Ziegler, and Administrator John Classe.
In the 77-page lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Florida, Disney Parks & Resorts alleges “a targeted campaign of government retaliation—orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech—now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.”
“Today’s action is the latest strike: At the Governor’s bidding, the State’s oversight board has purported to “void” publicly noticed and duly agreed development contracts, which had laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs. This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional,” Disney alleges in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit continues: “…the Governor and his allies have made clear they do not care and will not stop. The Governor recently declared that his team would not only ‘void the development agreement’–just as they did today–but also planned ‘to look at things like taxes on the hotels,’ ‘tolls on the roads,’ ‘developing some of the property that the district owns’ with ‘more amusement parks,’ and even putting a ‘state prison’ next to Walt Disney World. ‘Who knows? I just think the possibilities are endless,’ [Florida Governor DeSantis] said.”
“Disney regrets that it has come to this. But having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”
“Governor DeSantis and his allies paid no mind to the governing structure that facilitated Reedy Creek’s successful development until one year ago, when the Governor decided to target Disney. There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the State for doing so.”
“Governor DeSantis announced that Disney’s statement had ‘crossed the line’ —a line evidently separating permissible speech from intolerable speech—and launched into a barrage of threats against the Company in immediate response,” the lawsuit continues. It further alleges that DeSantis and his allies have since “moved beyond threats to official action, employing the machinery of the State in a coordinated campaign to damage Disney’s ability to do business in Florida.”
The lawsuit points out that state leaders have “not been subtle” about their reasons for taking retaliatory action against Disney. DeSantis and co. have declared that Disney “deserves” this because of the substance of the company’s statements.
Disney further states that it never sought a fight with the Florida government, and attempt to de-escalate for nearly a year, attempting a productive dialogue with DeSantis, all to no avail. Against that backdrop of uncertainty, Disney and RCID gave public notice that the parties would enter into contracts to secure future development for Walt Disney World. The company alleges that those contracts implemented a comprehensive plan for RCID that DeSantis had found compliant with Florida law only months earlier.
Disney characterized the developer agreement as standard and unsurprising, consistent with other land use agreements between developers and local regulars. The company contends that, “contrary to misunderstandings and mischaracterizations,” they do not undermine the CFTOD’s ability to govern and exercise its authority.
Disney argues that it is a clear violation of the company’s rights for the CFTOD board to declare its own legally binding contracts void and unenforceable, and as such, Disney seeks relief to carry out its long-held business plans.
The company further contends that it is “forced to defend itself against a State weaponizing its power to inflict political punishment” as a “clear violation of Disney’s federal constitutional rights” under the Contracts Clause, Takings Clause, Due Process Clause, and the First Amendment.”
“Disney finds itself in this regrettable position because it expressed a viewpoint the Governor and his allies did not like. Disney wishes that things could have been resolved a different way. But Disney also knows that it is fortunate to have the resources to take a stand against the State’s retaliation—a stand smaller businesses and individuals might not be able to take when the State comes after them for expressing their own views. In America, the government cannot punish you for speaking your mind.”
Deeper in the lawsuit, the company cites dozens of examples of Governor DeSantis voluntarily admitting that he was retaliating against Disney for expressing disfavored viewpoints. It cites his campaign emails soliciting donations, public interviews and speeches, social media posts, and even DeSantis’s recent memoir.
There are countless examples of this–they form the bulk of the 77-page complaint. Even as someone who has been following this saga closely and heard the heated rhetoric, some of the statements made by DeSantis and his allies are absurdly inflammatory and downright unsettling. Stuff I’d expect to hear from Jonah Ryan, not real politicians.
Ultimately, Disney seeks that the court declare that the Legislative Declaration is unlawful and unenforceable because it abrogates Disney’s rights in violation of the Contracts Clause, Takings Clause, Due Process Clause, and because it was enacted in retaliation for Disney’s speech in violation of the First Amendment.
Disney further seeks that the court declare that the Development Agreement (etc.) remain in effect and enforceable, that Florida Senate Bill 4C and House Bill 9B are unlawful and unenforceable because they were enacted in retaliation for Disney’s political speech in violation of the First Amendment, and that the Defendants be enjoined from enforcing the aforementioned bills and Legislative Declaration.
In a nutshell, Walt Disney World is seeking to undo the renaming of the Reedy Creek Improvement District into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Development District, which would by extension result in the replacement of the DeSantis appointees on that board.
Additionally or alternatively, Disney is seeking to preserve the Development Agreement (etc.) from February 8, and to prevent Florida from taking further action to supersede those contracts or otherwise punish the company.
Other politicians have spoken out about the battle between Disney and DeSantis, including members of the governor’s own party. An interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal shared that some Republicans are saying privately that the governor’s approach looks increasingly like a personal vendetta and heavy-handed government intervention into the affairs of one of the state’s largest employers. The paper also pointed out that DeSantis has seen erosion in support among GOP state lawmakers as result, with several allies from Florida’s congress publicly endorsing former President Trump.
“Disney is really acting in a way that we’d expect most free-market actors would act. Companies always push back and find a way to respond to aggressive regulation,” Republican state Rep. Spencer Roach, told the WSJ. “I think the governor is right, but I’m not sure at this point that the public is with us, and I would urge the governor to be cautious as he goes on with this fight with Disney.”
This is notable because Roach was one of the earliest advocates of the Reedy Creek dissolution, helping to spearhead the legislation early-on. (He’s cited twice in Disney’s complaint!) So it’s particularly interesting to see he and other once-vocal critics of Disney go quiet or publicly distance themselves from the ongoing battle.
Less surprising is the reaction of others against whom DeSantis will square off in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Trump weighed in by saying that DeSantis “is being absolutely destroyed by Disney” and called the governor’s move a “political stunt.” He hasn’t commented on the latest development, but he’ll undoubtedly seize upon the lawsuit at some point.
Nikki Haley weighed in and said that her home state would “happily accept” if Disney wanted to move its hundreds of thousands of jobs to South Carolina and bring billions of dollars in revenue with them, noting that South Carolina is “not woke, but we’re not sanctimonious about it either.” She is just one of several 2024 candidates who have commented thus far.
It should go without saying, but Walt Disney World is not going to pack up and move to another state–this isn’t Theme Park Tycoon. Haley and other politicians don’t think they will, either. As with so much of this, it’s theatrics or political posturing. By all accounts, the company is playing the long game with an eye towards its long-term future in Florida.
Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see other Republicans distancing themselves from DeSantis on this issue, or smelling blood in the water. Our commentary on two different past posts (here and here) largely revolved around that angle of the battle, questioning whether DeSantis has overplayed his hand, or made a miscalculation in continuing to push this once Iger returned.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out from here. Now that the battle between Disney and DeSantis has escalated beyond the court of public opinion to an actual court, the eventual outcome should be more predictable as a matter of law. Even then, this probably isn’t as cut and dry as some analysts are making it out to be.
We’d also caution against premature conclusions about how the ‘political theater’ side of the standoff will continue. One thing that has been particularly telling throughout this saga is that DeSantis and his allies have not at all attempted to maintain a veneer of plausible deniability.
No matter where you stand on this debate, it’s patently obvious that taking away Reedy Creek was occurring in direct response to Chapek’s statements last spring about pending Florida legislation. But for Chapek voicing an opinion, no one on DeSantis’s side of the aisle would’ve introduced legislation to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Additionally, no matter what you think of him, DeSantis is an intelligent and savvy political operator. It’s not like he (repeatedly) misspoke and accidentally let the underlying motivation for all of this slip. The punishment was the point, and signaling the same to supporters–and other businesses–was purposeful and deliberate.
This story never would’ve dominated the national news if Florida simply dissolved or replaced Reedy Creek during legislature’s ordinary course of business, with the simple explanation that more government oversight was desired. It would’ve been boring and no one would’ve cared. Framing it as retaliation was necessary for campaigning, fundraising, and making television appearances.
There’s no reason to expect that Walt Disney World filing this lawsuit will change the calculus for DeSantis and friends. In all likelihood, they will only escalate further, not de-escalate or defer now that there’s an actual pending legal matter. Just as the punishment was the point, so too is the battle the point.
Even as Disney is using the statements of the governor and board members in support of its allegations, the aforementioned individuals do not have any legal incentive to quiet down and let this matter be resolved by the courts. Disney is suing DeSantis and the CFTOD board in their official capacities. They have nothing to lose, personally, by continuing to plead their case and make waves in public. The only thing that will change the approach is if continuing the fight with Disney polls poorly.
As we’ve said before, this is not about the law, passing meaningful legislation, the tough and thankless work of local governance, or doing what’s best for constituents. It’s simply self-serving political theater. When viewed through that prism, “winning” is more about the ongoing culture wars than it is as a matter of law. The goal isn’t to govern; it’s to grab headlines, dominate the news cycle, and score points with the base in the current era of politics as a team sport. Again, these are not serious people with sincere motivations.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
If you’ve read all or part of Walt Disney World’s lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis & Friends, what’s your take on the allegations and support thereof? Any reaction to the latest season of the Reedy Creek Improvement District drama? Hope this escalating battle starts to de-escalate soon so we can focus again on the fun of the parks? Keep the comments civil, and avoid personal attacks or perpetuating pointless culture wars. Respectfully debating the change is totally fine, but don’t attack others or troll for controversy. That’s why Facebook was invented.
That has to be one of the worst written paragraphs that I have ever tried to read; there’s no chance you could write a book on anything.
I agree with Allison T. DeSantis needs to stop wasting taxpayer money fighting against Disney. DeSantis is trying to punish Disney for Chapek’s woke stand in Florida politics and legislation. Chapek was fired and is gone. Iger apologized. What more do you want? Blood? Because any he squeezes out is coming from Disney employees and customers. Just look at DeSantis’ ideas to raise tolls on the roads and build prisons. Who will that hurt? Disney employees and people vacationing in Florida who are already tired of rising prices. So, I just may decide to go to Disneyland instead. HA, HA, HA. Jokes on you, DeSantis for trying to stay in the public spotlight. Your own party is turning their back on you because you sound crazier than Trump. Putting in the new board is taxation without representation. Remember the Boston tea party. Disney does pay a huge amount in taxes to cover fire, police and emergency medical services. It also pays for road construction and maintenance. It is basically a self funded town.
“ Iger apologized. What more do you want? Blood?”
I totally agree with this statement. Even before Iger, Disney gave DeSantis plenty of opportunities to claim victory while backing down from his more consequential threats. By refusing to accept the olive branch DeSantis forced himself into a position where he either more publicly caved to Disney and looked weak or kept fighting a battle he likely won’t win against his state’s largest private generator of revenue, all while doubling down on the controversial legislation at the core of this mess by expanding it from K-3 to K-12.
DeSantis should have taken the off ramp Disney offered earlier, because I don’t see how this gets better for him now. Bare minimum is that now that it’s in front of an actual court, he’s going to have to be a lot more careful about what he says. No more grandstanding and making threatening statements like he did as recently as the previous week, unless he want to help make Disney’s case for them. To mix metaphors, by failing to take the early win where Disney would have let him claim victory, DeSantis killed the goose who laid the golden eggs and now it’s going to hang around his neck like an albatross.
All Wars through History have always been about 3 objectives………MONEY, POWER and LAND.
Shame on DeSantis!!!!!!
oh please, Disney is a company that thinks it owns Florida and can do whatever it wants. it isn’t its own little City. It’s a company. Nothing more. It doesn’t have the right to make its own board to make up it’s own rules and ignore the State of Florida. It should have stayed non political and remained for the kids. Well, now deal with just another company.
Not going to Disney but commenting on Disney blogs. Grow up.
There are 1400 such boards in Florida. and Desantis actually passed the legislation that helped Disney in 2021. so suddenly he’s against legislation he helped usher in….but only against Disney? This is so obviously retribution that Disney seems to have a slam dunk case
Floridian here . Desnatis seems heck bent on a kamakazi suicide mission to take down Disney or die trying . I personally hope he will die trying . Anyone can speak out over political differences . It’s fundamental to the freedoms afforded individuals as Americans . And recently , the Supreme Court decided that corporations are people. It’s clear this is retaliation because Disney spoke up to the bully . Make no mistake , Florida under DeSantis is not free.
Hey Robin, just out of curiosity- where were you born? Most that claim to be “Floridians” aren’t natives of the state, and usually bring their state’s politics along when they move in….. just sayin’.
G – Your question is irrelevant. People don’t have to be born in Florida to vote in Florida or to be impacted by its legislation.
Not sure what difference it makes where they were born for them to live and vote there. Pretty sure over 50% of Florida’s population are transplants (though that number is likely dropping)–do they not get to call themselves Floridians?
A. Congrats on the national media coverage of this blog, Tom. (https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/disney-suing-governor-florida-desantis-lawsuit-online-rcna81761)
B. Congrats (and thanks) for keeping things civil here, which I’m sure is a combination of (1) hard work by Tom, and (2) the nature of the people that value this website and community. Sure doesn’t feel like what NBC calls a “battleground” on this Disney planning/fan site.
Here here!
If it were not for Disney World I would say a good half of America and myself included would Never have a reason to even travel to Florida. You might say what about the beaches, well we have our own beaches in Alabama. Plus if I want to be hot and sweaty all I have to do is step out my front door. I think the governor needs to shut his mouth.
The governor is wrong. You don’t poke at a sleeping dragon unless you are prepared to get burned. Desantis will get burned!! Plus what is the benefit of harassing the biggest money maker in the state???
Here’s a good piece of (conservative) political commentary from a year ago that now reads as prescient: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/04/ron-desantiss-misguided-attack-on-disneys-legal-status/
In particular, it properly characterizes the nature and advantages of special districts, a topic/question that’s come up in recent comments.
great article but holy cow those are some caustic comments! I recommend everyone stay out of those unless you have links saved of puppies playing or something, because the anger towards the writer of that very well-reasoned article is off the charts….
Thanks, Tom, for the article. It’s rational and impartial… things greatly missing from DeSantis’ playbook on Disney.
Great article as always Tom. As a local and WDW AP, I am definitely keeping an eye on this saga, after all it’s very entertaining. I do have to point out a slight typo though, “No matter where you stand on this debate, it’s patently obvious that taking away Reeky Creek was occurring in direct response to Chapek’s statements” I don’t know of a Reeky Creek 😉
Thanks. My first (rushed) draft of this had several typos, and I thought I had caught them all…but I guess not. (As it turns out, my muscle memory seems to “think” the word “retaliation” actually has a tail in it!)
I think it can be good governing AND political theater at the same time. They aren’t mutually exclusive.
There’s a lot of people, myself included, who have believed for years that Disney should have it’s special privileges revoked. And this position is based purely on the setup being unfair to competitors like Universal.
However, the indisputable law of politics is that, regardless of the merit of the change, you need enough backing from the populace to get the law passed. From my perspective, this was a needed change that there wasn’t the political will to make. When Disney angered half the country, that will materialized.
Greg, would love to understand your view on why you think it needed to change? I’m not a resident of Orlando or Florida, for that matter, but just curious on this perspective.
One of the things we measure at my company (not Disney) is customer lifetime value. We make critical decisions on the total value of a customer versus anything short-term. In other words, we don’t treat customers equally. I believe governments do or can do the same thing, all within the law of course, based on a longer view of historical value and potential value. In that case, Disney can likely make a strong argument for preferential treatment.
That’s a fair question. I’d say there’s two main aspects.
First, as a general principle, I’m against the idea of the government picking favorites or carving out exceptions. It’s the mirror image of Disney’s argument that Flordia can’t single them out for punishment. For this aspect of my opposition to the district, it isn’t about the nature of the benefits they have, rather that their competitors (i.e. Universal) don’t have those same benefits.
Secondly, I’m apprehensive about the mixing of corporate and government power. The responsibilities and incentives for each can be at odds when the profit motive comes into conflict with a government’s duty to protect its constituents. This isn’t a huge issue for Reedy Creek since there aren’t really residents, but I definitely don’t like that Disney was able to, via the proxy of the RCID, issue government bonds for Disney World infrastructure.
The salient argument Disney is making is that these actions by the Governor et all have nothing to do with whether Disney has special privileges. That issue is not why the actions were taken. They were used as a not so subtle smokescreen to the real motive. Retaliation for Disney’s criticisms of the Governor. That is the sole reason. It’s clear that absent those criticisms nothing would have happened. Nothing. It’s also instructive that Disney announced its next actions and provided all legally required public notices for the meetings where the actions could be discussed. This was described by the Governors board as actions taken in the middle of the night etc. Their assertions have low probity.
curious if you think the other 1400 districts (including DeSantis own “Villages”) should also be dissolved or stripped of any real governing power? DeSantis likes to talk like this is unique to Disney, but as the other article states 1) it needs to be due to the sheer size and 2) there are lots of similar (but each unique to their own needs) arrangements all across Florida.
Great article, but needs a pudding photo.
It has one!
Love the Jonah Ryan reference….!!
Your photo choices here are magnificent! Love it
We were at Disney World October 2022. Florida election ads running non-stop. What caught my attention was Ron Dasantis’ wife in a TV ad glorifying Ron about his support with her cancer. Understandably! She continued to praise him for supporting her with Chemotherapy and how they had to be careful with her being susceptible to other illness & viruses. Then a proceeding TV advertisement came on showing how he stood up to Covid and ridiculed the high school students for showing up at his press conference with face masks on. Political & two faced! That should tell you enough about the Disney fiasco.
Excellent point
I’m a retired teacher and that press conference in which he bullied the high schoolers was the first time I really paid attention to him as a person. I knew right then and there that it would be highly unlikely I could ever support him in any leadership role. I loathe bullies.
I’ve seen some comments from Floridians on other platforms that there are hundreds of special districts in Florida, perhaps not as large as Reedy Creek, but not small, either. This would really undercut DeSantis’s repeated argument that Disney alone should not have special status or privileges. Is this true??
Google says there are more than 1800 special districts in Florida. This is getting *very* interesting!
It definitely looks like there is more evidence that DeSantis is singling Disney out. I would almost guarantee that those other special districts are patterned after Reedey Creek.
It’s true, but misleading. Reedy Creek had special privileges that those other districts do not. Disney still has a special district, it just has to follow the same rules as everyone else now.
Exactly. What rules, do you think Disney has broken? They signed a contract with the state of Florida and followed it exactly. What else did you expect them to do?
The state broke their contract and now Disney gets to sue,. That’s how it works.
Emma, yup. The largest other special district is The Villages up near Ocala. Why isn’t Desantis going after that district? The majority of the residents there (it’s a 55+ community, and HUGE) are conservative Desantis supporters. So he will NEVER go after them. Funny how that works, right?
In reading comments after comments on multiple Disney blogs, it’s odd to me that there seems to be a debate about the benefits of the special district, and whom it benefits. The special district is still here – shouldn’t the focus on how DeSantis, with the consent of the Florida legislature, is trying to weaponize the special district to try & control Disney’s entertainment content (and their business practices) – with the threat of harming Disney’s business.
While I 100% agree with your point, I think the focus should be the clear government retaliation for voicing their opinion. I don’t think there’s any question that’s what’s going on since DeSantis has pretty much stated that very thing. I do find it amusing that the GOP worked very hard to insure that “corporations are people”, but then work so hard to take away the constitutional rights of those same people because they would dare voice dissent. It’s a pretty clear 1st Amendment protection violation. Hard to see how Disney loses that argument.
The approach DeSantis is using to try and get Disney to be quiet is dangerous. Disney is correct to point out that he is using government in an inappropriate manner. It is easy to see how this would translate into other areas. If he disagrees with the views of an individual, it is perfectly conceivable that he would have their house condemned or a dormant easement utilized.
Never bet against America. Politicians will come and go, but America will persevere as well as its fundamental values of freedom, while living together in the society of many voices. We have managed our differences over 200 years and come together in complete unity called upon. Our current climate is no more than a blip on the radar screen, the path of the long journey of where ever America is meant to go. We must not fear our future, but embrace it, and embrace the mini voices bind to make us the greatest nation on earth. I am not a conservative Christian, whatever that means. I have never seen the words ‘ conservative Christian.’ in the teachings of the Bible or any sacred documents we are simply children of God and the difficulty as we cannot define God, because God is all there is, what do you consider the universe, the cosmos, everything, nothing, are the great I am. It’s really simple. I do not have the answers, but we can work toward are the scientific method of learning and faith merge and move on through eternity. At least let’s try to do. but we have all been challenged to do – judge not, lest we be judged. I understand that Disney is a business that represents much more americana and sometimes we forget that we do not have all the answers. We simply have the questions. And the questions will never be completely answered in this life, except through faith, which few, if any of us will ever return in the real sense.
I really hope Disney wins this battle. DeSantis claims that Disney should be regulated like everyone else. Can someone explain how Disney has special privilege in a way that hurts the community of Florida? I’ve read Disney doesn’t rely on public services such as fire, police, utilities, etc. makes sense because they have such a unique property. They shouldn’t have to pay taxes for local services.. I’m a local government land use regulator. Land use regulations is suppose to protect the public, safety, and welfare. For Disneyland, make sense for local government to regulate because the park can directly impact surrounding neighborhoods due to neighboring land uses. However Disneyworld is unique. It has so much land that direct land use impact is minimal unless Im mistaken. I work for local government. . I know how the processes can slow significantly with every little permit and permitting cost cost can add up. I just don’t see how regulating Disney in the way DeSantis wants is beneficial to anyone? Regulating inspections? Disney already has higher standards. This will will end up hurting both Disney, the State of Florida, and everyone else that utilizes Disney services..