Disney Sues Desantis

Standing alone, had the Legislature decided to debate the efficacy and efficiency of allowing the Special District to continue, taking into consideration things such as economic impact, I think the Legislative action would be lawful, if not sound.

But, compare what you actually said, and conceded, below:

When you take the additional facts here, that the Legislature took action to retaliate against Disney for exercising their free speech, the Legislative action becomes unlawful. A government cannot punish (another word for retaliate) a citizen (and Disney meets the definition of “citizen”) for exercising free speech in the form of government protest or opposition or criticism, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE SPEECH IS EVEN ACCURATE.

Returning to what the Legislature did here, you’ll recall that (because you said so above) that DeSantis wanted to teach Disney a lesson for speaking against the so-called “don’t say gay” law. He held an emergency legislative session, where the law stripping Disney of Reedy Creek was passed in days — all without the benefit of economic impact, citizen debate or comment, or any other normal act of the legislative process.

Again, for those in the back rows, pure government retaliation against one who exercises free political speech is unlawful.

 

How stupid are these people. I know, rhetorical question, they’re DeSantis appointees. They are trying to make a big deal out of free Disney passes for RCID employees? Really?


Already involved in two lawsuits with Disney, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district on Monday launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for district employees.

Board members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District submitted a complaint to the state Inspector General, claiming that the millions of dollars in season passes, as well as discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages, that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided governing district employees amount to unethical benefits and perks.

Last year alone, before the DeSantis appointees took over the governing board and it was still controlled by Disney backers, around $2.5 million in discounts and passes were given to district employees and their families, the board said in a news release.

Appointees flag free Disney passes
Appointees flag free Disney passes - Tampa Bay Times

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Going to make them very popular in Osceola.

 

Aside from these overpaid political hacks in appointed positions, who are the “RCID employees”? My understanding is they had responsibility for fire, policing inside the parks, probably a bunch of infrastructure and maintenance type folks, and of course low paid office support. So their big “anti-corruption” move is to take a small perk away from emergency responders and blue collar workers who worked for a formerly Disney run entity?


What are we taking about here? A few hundred $ in value per head? I’m sure these people are highly offended by the incestuous legal relations where $10’s of millions are going out the door at the state level to high priced lawyers… nah just kidding some of them are probably in on that corruption.

If they want to be credible, maybe no political appointee or executive working for the district to access such benefits, but allow rank ‘n file employees to have their little Disney perk. But this likely isn’t about being “credible”, although given who the recipients of these “perks’ would be I’m not exactly sure what the aim is. Maybe they are trying to piss off employees, so as to negatively impact services? That’s the only thing I can come up with.

 

I'm actually ok with this change. Instead of getting an annual pass, you get a $1000 stipend to do with as you choose. What I don't know is if the employee's family also receives AP's. If that's the case then the $1000 isn't a good deal at all

 

“Disney firefighters are distraught, choked up by Ron DeSantis’ ‘disturbing’ move to strip them of free park passes
Firefighters confronted DeSantis' governing board on Wednesday. “The removal of this benefit takes away, for some, their entire reason for working here."

Disney firefighters devastated by DeSantis stripping free park passes | Fortune

 

FAFO

 

Apparently it is part of their pension too. Lifetime passes

 

Yep, plus discounts at restaurants and hotels.

 

It included all immediate family members. I haven't found if there was an actual number limit though. So if you take the highest Florida resident annual pass at $749 plus tax for one person, a family of 4 would pay at least $3,000 a year.

And as others have said, there is pretty much a standard 20% (30% during certain times) off of most restaurants/merchandise on site and many resort discounts of 15-25% that are included with AP's.

 

My daughter’s boyfriend’s father is a RC fireman. I can tell you that those perks were a really big deal to the family.

 

Not this time. Disney supposedly not singled out

Judge dismisses Disney lawsuit against DeSantis

 

DeSantis Secures Total Victory Over Disney, Last Gasp Attempt By 'The Mouse' Goes Down in Flames

 

Here is a summary of Judge Winsor's "reasoning"

In a 17-page order, Judge Allen Winsor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee agreed that the change “works to Disney’s significant detriment,” but that the company could not point to the motivation behind the legislation to say it was unfairly targeted.

“It is true that the laws did not affect all districts, and it is true (at least accepting Disney’s allegations) that Disney faces the brunt of the harm,” Winsor wrote. “But Disney offers no support for its argument that the court is to undertake line drawing to determine just how many others a law must cover to avoid ‘singling out’ those they affect most.”

 

Interestingly that unlike the somewhat more objective article in the other thread, the article proclaiming "total victory" doesn't even mention the likelihood of an appeal (it is mentioned in one of the responses separate and apart from the original proclamation of victory). Once again it's like proclaiming victory in a football game at the end of the first half.

 

I’ll grant that the article title could have been more circumspect. But it’s looking aces for DeSantis. And I wouldn’t have posted the article had there not been five anti-DeSantis threads on the first page alone. Call me a troll.

 

The case was always going to be won or lost at the appellate level. That said, it’s a much needed, clear political victory for DeSantis who had a long line of losing streaks in the courts and who suffered an embarrassing obliteration in his presidential campaign. Once the appellate court rules, the politics will be substantially mooted, and if it takes enough time, DeSantis might have already finished his term.

 

Surprising that none of the administrations overt comments of Disney’s stance are even mentioned here.

I do want to also point out that the judge’s argument is rightly centered on motivation rather than the “specialness” of Disney’s control over the district.

 

This will get reversed.

 

Eh, it'll depend on the composition of the panel and what the less extreme Trump appointees are thinking.