Welcome home, fellow Gator.

The Gator Nation's oldest and most active insider community
Join today!

Sorry Desantis, but I think Disney may have gotten the last laugh

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by G8tas, Mar 29, 2023.

  1. WarDamnGator

    WarDamnGator GC Hall of Fame

    10,780
    1,351
    1,718
    Apr 8, 2007
    Yes, that’s exactly what a “small government conservative, who hates bureaucracy and burdensome regulation” would say…
     
    • Winner Winner x 5
    • Like Like x 1
  2. oragator1

    oragator1 Premium Member

    22,978
    5,621
    3,488
    Apr 3, 2007
    I don’t, but if you put it on a scale from 1-10, Biden is like a 6 on the divisive meter, RD is a 9 and Trump is an 11. I’ll take the 6 for now.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,826
    26,353
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    Big corporate bureaucracy is far worse... Sorry that ship has sailed. I no longer trust big corporations.

    And... there is a huge/yuge difference between "big government" and good/sound regulations. This is NOT burdensome regulation. Not to me it's not.
     
    • Funny Funny x 3
  4. gatorchamps960608

    gatorchamps960608 GC Hall of Fame

    4,520
    942
    2,463
    Jul 4, 2020
    Yet you vote for the political party that would murder everyone you know to prevent big corporations from losing a penny of their profits.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  5. gator95

    gator95 GC Hall of Fame

    7,686
    850
    2,013
    Apr 3, 2007
    Agree Trump was worse than Biden on a divisive meter but Biden isn't a 6. He's more like an 8, DeSantis unfortunately has moved too far to the right for my taste on many subjects. Trump is and was a non starter for me. At this point I "might" vote for DeSantis if he's the R Nominee but won't vote for either trump or biden if it's between them.
     
    • Disagree Bacon! Disagree Bacon! x 1
    • Come On Man Come On Man x 1
    • Off-topic Off-topic x 1
  6. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,826
    26,353
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    Be more specific please. I do like less red tape and less burdensome regulations of good fair business practices. But taking over a city is not what I would call good business practice by a multinational corporation.

    I also think you have MY brand of conservative confused with the OLD GOP... that dinosaur, Grand Old Party and their big corporate NWO crap.
     
  7. WarDamnGator

    WarDamnGator GC Hall of Fame

    10,780
    1,351
    1,718
    Apr 8, 2007
    Who exactly was Reddy Creek harming?
     
  8. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,826
    26,353
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    Every single taxpayer in the state of Florida/Orange County. More specifically the county taxes unpaid into the system.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2023
    • Disagree Bacon! Disagree Bacon! x 5
    • Come On Man Come On Man x 1
  9. WarDamnGator

    WarDamnGator GC Hall of Fame

    10,780
    1,351
    1,718
    Apr 8, 2007
    Huh? Reedy Creek was self sustained and was funded entirely by the district land owners, which was Disney and its associated properties, who in return benefitted from Reedy Creek’s services…. You have no idea what you are taking about…
     
    • Winner Winner x 4
    • Agree Agree x 2
  10. Gator40

    Gator40 Avada Kedavra

    14,051
    455
    488
    Apr 3, 2007
    Which corporation took over a city?
    Incorrect and a lie. Disney pays a ton of taxes through the state theme park tax. They pay almost $800M annually in state and local taxes.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Dislike Dislike x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
  11. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,826
    26,353
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    We don't know if they are paying their fair share of taxes as of yet, do we? I don't even think the state knows. It's money that Disney does NOT deserve to manage. Orange county needs that revenue.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2023
    • Come On Man Come On Man x 2
  12. WarDamnGator

    WarDamnGator GC Hall of Fame

    10,780
    1,351
    1,718
    Apr 8, 2007
    That’s exactly right… Disney still pays its sales tax to the state, just like any other business, too.. and I’m sure that is substantial.

    Reedy ran off what is the equivalent to property tax that would normally go to the county, but Reedy creek then provided all the services the county would normally provide (roads, sewer, water, fire, etc… ) to Disney properties…
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  13. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,826
    26,353
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    Yep and why do they want to run that city so badly? What's their incentive here? Don't you think there are some benefits that we the people don't know about?

    Why are they fighting tooth and nail to keep control of Reedy Creek? What is going on there? Do they make more money managing the city than it costs to run it?
     
    • Come On Man Come On Man x 3
    • Funny Funny x 2
  14. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,853
    1,852
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Same reason why you wouldnt want the state of Florida appointing your HOA board
     
    • Winner Winner x 4
  15. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,826
    26,353
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    I guess it all comes down to who you trust more? Either you trust a multinational corporation like Disney to run Reedy Creek, or state appointed people by the governor.

    Either way, we know how all this came about.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  16. docspor

    docspor GC Hall of Fame

    5,729
    1,823
    3,078
    Nov 30, 2010
    this has NOTHING to do with the issue or Chy-na Ron's decision. His decision was based solely on the fact that Disney disagreed with a law he signed. If Disney had come out & praised it, Bootsy woulda magically not been opposed to private entities voicing their opinion. Again, this has NOTHING to do with who should run Reedy Creek.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
    • Winner Winner x 3
    • Like Like x 1
    • Friendly Friendly x 1
  17. WarDamnGator

    WarDamnGator GC Hall of Fame

    10,780
    1,351
    1,718
    Apr 8, 2007
    Sure there is a benefit, they get to grow Disney the way they want to without a local government bureaucracy in the way… that’s the only positive I see for Disney in this… running a city isn’t cheap…

    And I don’t understand the last question… “cities” run on taxes…. If Disney is the only entity paying taxes to the city, then how the hell could it possibly be “profitable” for them… seems like a dumb thing to even suggest…
     
    • Winner Winner x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

    29,853
    1,852
    1,968
    Apr 19, 2007
    Its literally Disney's private property, I'd think the conservative position would be the property owner should be trusted over the government to manage how the property is developed and used.
     
    • Winner Winner x 5
    • Agree Agree x 1
  19. PerSeGator

    PerSeGator GC Hall of Fame

    2,290
    366
    1,993
    Jun 14, 2014
    They don't even get that benefit.

    Disney pays all the normal county taxes, at the exact same millage rate as other county residents, despite paying for their own (better) versions of the same services via Reedy Creek.

    This is the actual assessment for Magic Kingdom:

    upload_2023-3-30_16-27-0.png
     
    • Winner Winner x 3
    • Informative Informative x 3
    • Like Like x 1
  20. ajoseph

    ajoseph Premium Member

    6,989
    2,573
    2,998
    Jan 15, 2008
    I can try and speculate the reasoning behind Disney wanting to run Reedy Creek. It has nothing to do worth not paying taxes. They pay out more than they bring in. But here’s my explanation:

    Disney controls the speed in which complicated land-use decisions move through bureaucracy. Assume Disney wants to build a hotel. Typically they’d need to first acquire the land, but they already own it. Next, they need to make sure the use of the property fits within Reedy Creek’s city plan. If it is not perfectly zoned, they need to seek a zoning variance to ensure it fits within the community plan. It can takes months or years to get that zoning variance in typical bureaucracy. Disney can move it through the process at warp speed — remember that Disney wants to ensure that every piece of property built on the district conforms with its plan and themes.

    Then, once it’s zoned, construction plans need to be approved. Again, Disney moves the planning at warp speed compared to normal bureaucracy.

    Then, once the construction is completed, it needs to get inspected, and then once the construction inspection issues are corrected, permits closed out. This, too, is expedited.

    For a structure that typically takes upwards of five years to conceive and construct is reduced to, say, 1.5 years.

    That means a company that has invested in the infrastructure of a building can start receiving a return on its investment for 3.5 years in advance of what would take place without the development-favoring special district.

    The amount of money saved, and received, is enormous, particularly considering the volume of Disney’s development.

    Disney also has control over land-use (and thematic construction) throughout the land that it owns.

    Disney’s Reedy Creek services are excellent. The reason, of course, is the Disney-mandated theme that it’s visitors should be transported to a land of perfection once they’re in Disney.

    It’s my understanding that Disney operates Reedy Creek at a loss, meaning it pays out more than it takes in. The “why” is explained above. Not paying taxes is not one of the reasons.

    And while the magnitude of a Disney and Reedy Creek is certainly unique, the thousands of special districts in this state alone all are designed for similar purposes - to facilitate development.
     
    • Winner Winner x 4
    • Informative Informative x 3
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1