why is.it all of a sudden problem now...Disney operates thousands of acres of property while.Sea.Land.and Universal have just a theme park basically. Disney operates a small city basically and provides hundreds of millions in revenue for the state and thousands of jobs. So.companies can receive incentive tax breaks to operate and corporate welfare but now Disney is unfair. let me search your posts where Disneys issue bothered Floridians for years.... Disneys corporate concessions are now so unfair?? Becaise Ron told you so.now?? wow...
I'm not sure what you're ranting about. I'm asking Tony a simple question about whether he agrees with the principle (as he indicated he might) or not. We're having a pleasant dialogue, because he's cordial and we can do that. It might actually benefit you to go back a few posts for context to see how the conversation began between he and I.
From my understanding Disney paid the cost of running a city that others didn't have to pay and them having an advantage is debatable when all things were considered.I dont know all the facts 0n the issue but the fact that Desantis and right wingers only had a problem with it when they supported gays against right wing discrimination says a lot imo. I wish Disney would shut the whole park down and move it to Connecticut/Maryland/Massachusetts etc.
You're right that DeSantis and folks on the right had a problem only when the CEO of that company came out and said they were going to openly work to appeal the law and fight the state. But the deal, which Disney has had for decades, is a nice deal that other amusement parks in the Orlando area do not enjoy. It works to Disney's advantage. So if you believe in a fair playing field, you can disagree with the how it was done and call a political angle on it (you'd be right), but you should - again should - agree with removing the sweetheart deal. I've never denied there is a political fight here. I've long said that I support the move only because of the fact that the CEO has a duty to his shareholders and NOT to getting involved in charged political debates, and there should be a penalty for that. Whether this penalty is what I would want to see is just a matter of subjectivity.
It is not a fair.field...Universal does.not own and operate thousands of acres where they need to provide utilities, land management, essential.services, water.management, infrastructure..etc... It is clear when you say Disney has an advantage over.other parks and fair playing fields that you dont understand the structure and simply jumping.on the political issue . Also I expect DeSantis to.repeal all tax breaks.to.any company not.offerred.to every single one in Florida. I mean you are.not just favoring a political position that favors your narrative amirite? The position is.more respectable if you stop the B.S. about level playing fields and Disney is the same as Sea World and just admit you want the revenge against Disney.for its stance. Desantis never cared about advantage or fair fields because he never went after other special arrangements or corporate.welfare. Everyone knows that... I find the BS window dressing beneath you...i respect our difference of opinion on this but dont tell me you suddenly care about fair fields when you have.no idea how much Disney supports Florida economy.
I hope you and others realize that Florida has over 1,800 special tax districts. Reedy Creek is just one on the list. We have seen the DeSantis supporters trying to re-direct criticism of DeSantis picking on a single corporation, Disney -- by pushing the "look at the special privileges they got from Reedy Creek" talking point. Well, there are hundreds of other special tax districts in Florida including ones for housing, commercial, and other amusement parks that allow the businesses to act as quasi-governmental agencies. DeSantis and GOP would to repeal all of these special tax districts to even the playing field-- otherwise they are just picking on Disney to drive DeSantis's political narrative for national office.
First, I'm not sure what is going on with your "." all throughout your text - perhaps its just me but it makes it really difficult to determine what you're trying to say without reading a few times. But lets get to the issue. Disney has numerous exemptions from regulations and taxes/fees that allow it to essentially act in a de-facto self governing format that other theme parks do not. Additionally, Disney can issue bonds against the land (not just against the company like others can do), despite the fact that it does not technically own all the land. It has always paid state taxes, so that's not what we're talking about - but it does get numerous tax incentives, some that others get, some that others do not. None of these have been targeted by DeSantis, contrary to narratives in the media. The special district (which is one of many in the state of FL) ...has the ability to levy ad valorem taxes at a higher millage rate than the neighboring counties and to issue bonds to fund construction and other kind of projects within the boundaries. This includes roads, utilities, even fire departments. The district is also exempt from building codes and permit requirements that would be present in the counties next door. - Forbes Again, this wasn't about taxes but the ability to self-govern, which is unique among theme parks in Florida. Per WRAL and fact checked by Politifact: Disney's most significant benefit from the arrangement was not financial but rather the autonomy to develop the 25,000 acres it owns in Central Florida without much of the oversight other developers typically have. Removing this special privledge evens the playing field with other theme parks. Regardless of whether it was politically motivated or not (which I don't dispute), it does have an unfair advantage, whether you claim it or not. Further, I have never made any claim that said Disney does not support the Florida economy, or even suggested such nonsense. All i've said, and will continue to say, is that Disney had no business getting involved directly - key word there - directly in state politics, and making it public and overt, forcing a response from the Governor's office. Disney itself understands and regrets this, and has said so. If they could turn back time and reverse it, they would have.
Disney pretty much built the Orlando area. Many, many companies all across this country still have these types of legacy privileges from many decades ago. The issue isn’t these self governance rules it’s about using political power for personal reasons. Going after Disney is not in the state of Florida’s interests at all. You do enough of this stuff and it can become a real drag.
I don't disagree with any of that. But it still doesn't mean the CEO should have opened his mouth and waded into a politically charged arena with a direct challenge to the governor - one who has his eyes on higher office. And as a shareholder in any company, I don't want the CEO doing stupid crap like that. I want him/her running the company I own shares in. As for using power for political reasons, please. I could name half a dozen examples off the top of my head where members of both parties have done something like that. Its just the way politics goes, unfortunately.