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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDeSantis Promises Florida Will Control Disney Content
While the board handles infrastructure and maintenance, DeSantis boasted that it could use its leverage to force Disney to stop trying to inject woke ideology on children.
When you lose your way, youve got to have people that are going to tell you the truth, DeSantis proclaimed. So we hope they can get back on. But I think all of these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate.
It is worth pausing a moment to grasp the full breadth of what is going on here. First, DeSantis established the principle that he can and will use the power of the state to punish private firms that exercise their First Amendment right to criticize his positions. Now he is promising to continue exerting state power to pressure the firm to produce content that comports with his own ideological agenda.Whether he is successful remains to be seen. But a few things ought to be clear. First, DeSantiss treatment of Disney is not a one-off but a centerpiece of his legacy in Florida. He has repeatedly invoked the episode in his speeches, and his allies have held it up as evidence of his strength and dominance. The Murdoch media empire, which is functionally an arm of the DeSantis campaign, highlighted the Disney conquest in a New York Post front page and a Fox & Friends segment.
Second, DeSantiss authoritarian methods have met with vanishingly little resistance within his party. The only detectable Republican pushback has come from New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu, who warned, Look, Rons a very good governor. But Im just trying to remind folks what we are at our core. And if were trying to beat the Democrats at being big-government authoritarians, remember whats going to happen. Eventually, theyll have power
and then theyll start penalizing conservative businesses and conservative nonprofits and conservative ideas. (Of course, this warning holds only if Republicans believe they will have to relinquish power. If DeSantis can truly follow the example of Viktor Orbán, losing power becomes only a theoretical risk.)
And third, DeSantis has been very explicit about his belief that he sees his methods in Florida as a blueprint for a national agenda. So there is every reason to believe that, if elected president, DeSantis would use government power to force both public and private institutions to toe his line. Speaking out against him, or even producing content he disapproves of, would become a financially risky proposition.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/desantis-promises-florida-will-control-disney-content/ar-AA182O72

Meadowoak
(6,360 posts)Long as it is run by Nazis.
woodsprite
(12,319 posts)We had trip planned before COVID hit and cancelled. Then cancer surgery and treatment interrupted our plans for the past years. This is a belated 21st bday present to our son, a 30th and 60th bday present to my daughter and I. Hubby isnt celebrating he said, since hes footing the bill 😂
MustLoveBeagles
(12,966 posts)In years past I vacationed several times and even breifly lived there. Spent part of my honeymoon there. I can't in good concience go there while this nonsense is going on. I won't enable it.
allegorical oracle
(3,974 posts)only apparent persuasive power that Repugs understand.
DeSatan is running roughshod over Florida because the Legislature gives him total control. It's going to get worse before it gets better.
My morning reading of news headlines from the north Fla. area was jammed with news of shootings that occurred over the weekend. Yet nothing will be done with politicians expanding gun use.
So tell your friends/relatives to enjoy themselves and vacation elsewhere -- states that are safer and that care about their residents and visitors.
sabbat hunter
(6,924 posts)but to go to Florida a few times a year. My mom lives down there in a retirement village.
no_hypocrisy
(50,048 posts)

TheBlackAdder
(29,216 posts).
They are authoritarians, and are now incorporating Marxist communist traits ---- That's STALINISM!
On second thought, with their authoritarianism, oligarch support and control on industry, they are now venturing into PUTINISM!
.
Botany
(73,151 posts)
That mother fucker has a Hitler complex and going after a business that brings billions of
dollars into Florida is not smart.
TheBlackAdder
(29,216 posts).
Much like Boaty McBoatface.
.
Botany
(73,151 posts)In the pix I posted I like the military guy laughing @ Gov. Booty McBootface and he
has to have his name on his clothing too. What a dick.
B.See
(4,363 posts)Trouble is, that mfkr has his sights set on the presidency and if we aren't careful and AWAKE enough to recognize the threat this mfkr poses to us ALL, he'll turn all of America into the FASCIST STATE he's turned Florida into.
Botany
(73,151 posts)Last edited Wed Mar 1, 2023, 10:35 AM - Edit history (1)
Welcome to DU

Sharpton calls him "Little Trump" ... trying to out Trump TFG. Funny, isn't it, how MAGAS always seem to aspire to the most gutter mentalities?
"No low, too low."
keroro gunsou
(2,241 posts)His name should be J. Booty McBootface you know him better as Jack .boot.
Botany
(73,151 posts).... that covid spreading tin horn dictator. No more Mr. Nice Guy to Governor J Booty McBootface
Just like Plowy Mc'Plowface.
?quality=85&strip=all&w=450
hippywife
(22,767 posts)that's gonna leave a mark. Just look at all the derision thrown at trump that kept him from being elected.
Xavier Breath
(5,292 posts)
Lovie777
(16,484 posts)Watt Disney must be turning in his grave. The ghost of the pass will come to haunt DeSatan along with the ghosts of the present and the future.
Most Americans see a dictator in Florida.
malaise
(280,661 posts)Please proceed Death Sentence
ancianita
(39,557 posts)FloridaBlues
(4,443 posts)Or anything else they put out for the public.
He doesnt have authority to oversee anything but taxing, maintenance of roadways etc. Id say dont mess with Disney on production.
Irish_Dem
(63,531 posts)Putin initially used the oligarchs to get "elected" as supreme leader.
Once he was in office he told them he was now in charge of them.
They better obey him or face being thrown out a window.
TheBlackAdder
(29,216 posts)Irish_Dem
(63,531 posts)ancianita
(39,557 posts)As Beauchamp noted, this approach is far more extensive in Hungary under Orban, who has used the power of the state to deprive a critical business leader of contracts and built a system where it behooves major commercial interests to toe the ruling partys line.
multigraincracker
(34,781 posts)fucking Goofy.
Walleye
(37,546 posts)
EYESORE 9001
(27,776 posts)Right there
Probatim
(3,076 posts)Actual transcript from M. Mouse's divorce hearing.
ProudMNDemocrat
(19,407 posts)By little Ronnie-white boots.
I would assume that Mickey Mouse has powerful Lawyers that could bankrupt Florida many times over.
This is a fight Ronnie D will not win.
cagefreesoylentgreen
(838 posts)I figure theyve taken the long view, that theyll still be around long after DeSantis and his cronies are literally dead and buried.
Walleye
(37,546 posts)He enjoys the benefits of his geographical and climatic situation, otherwise nobody would even come to Florida. Does he ever have to do governor stuff?
House of Roberts
(5,838 posts)Now that he's changed their profitability in Florida they have a tort to settle with him.
FBaggins
(27,979 posts)Congress passes a law that costs corporations some of their profits
can those corporations sue claiming a tort?
Of course not
The lawsuits will eventually come against the new Reedy Creek board when they abuse their authority. But Disney cant do anything to overturn state law of this sort
House of Roberts
(5,838 posts)They have an arguable case against being singled out. Disney agreed to locate in Florida based on the conditions at the time, with no agreed upon time limit. Changing the rules after they've invested their money in their facility is a government taking. I worked for a company that agreed to locate in my town for a 25 year tax abatement. Had the town rescinded the deal after they located, they would have had a textbook case of government taking. DeSantis is bound by the terms Disney agreed to when they located there, if there was no agreed upon expiration date.
FBaggins
(27,979 posts)You cant sue on the basis that you have a right to control your local government.
Youre imagining a contractual obligation like a county incentivizing a company to relocate
but no such contract exists. If that were true, Disney would have breached that deal decades ago when they failed to build the prototype community that EPCOT was originally planned to be.
LetMyPeopleVote
(157,918 posts)Reedy Creek is in effect a municipal utility district and does not control WDW activities
Link to tweet
FBaggins
(27,979 posts)Is Disney still exempt from county sales and property taxes? Sure! But they were exempt because they paid taxes instead to RCID
and that was only a benefit because they controlled the district. Now they dont.
Can Disney still issue tax-free bonds? No
and they never could. The district could issue those and they controlled the district. Now they dont
clearly not a win.
Does Disney have expedited permitting? No
they have permitting through the district instead of the county - and it could be expedited because they controlled the district. Now they dont.
LetMyPeopleVote
(157,918 posts)One of the reasons why DeathSantis had to back down was the fact that dissolving Reedy Creek would have forced two Florida counties to assume $2 billion in bond debt.
FBaggins
(27,979 posts)DeSantis didn't "back down" - he escalated.
The original plan would have left a pair of blue counties as Disney's ongoing government services/control. Would that have transferred debt from the district (effectively Disney) to the counties? Yes... but the legislature said last year that they were going to "fix" that. They could have just changed the law such that the counties could still pass the burden on to Disney. But that would have been complicated and still left blue counties as Disney's local government.
Now it's his own hand-picked nutcase board that will be in charge... killing two birds with one stone. They debt obligation stay with Disney and now the next time they need to issue bonds... it's DeSantis' pets who will decide whether to do and how much to tax Disney for it.
I have no idea how you spin that as "backing down"... let alone why you think it's relevant to Sabatini's ridiculous spin.
B.See
(4,363 posts)Florida Senator proposes bill to cancel Democratic Party in state
https://news.yahoo.com/florida-senator-proposes-bill-cancel-224019613.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)I already moved here four years ago.
Nice weather. Bad politics.
Emile
(32,294 posts)The Grand Illuminist
(1,740 posts)Meaning the blood on DeSantis' hands is the same amount as the blood on his voters hands. Voter accountability.
bluestarone
(18,722 posts)Break up the CULTISTS running the state! The PEOPLE in Florida are the only ones that can STOP DEATHSANTIS!! I wish, somehow the FEDS could get in there and INVESTIGATE this state. (no proof, BUT i'm certain things would be uncovered!) THEY are DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY!!!
Initech
(103,459 posts)It's scary to think that the GOP is going full third world dictator on us and the idiots who watch Fox are agreeing with their every move. Fox News is fucking destroying this country and they are getting away with it. They're the 800 pound gorilla in the room that nobody wants to talk about. But they are doing untold, irreversable damage that may take decades to repair, if ever. If Desantis gets into power, there would be no stopping them.
bluestarone
(18,722 posts)



GenThePerservering
(2,675 posts)is full of crap.
Mopar151
(10,212 posts)In today's Republican party, he's a WOKE liberal! Now, Ted Cruz - there's a real MAGA! - overflowing with PCB sludge and plating waste, with a little dioxin sorbet'.
Hong Kong Cavalier
(4,593 posts)Eesh. This man's even more evil than Tangeranus.
HAB911
(9,487 posts)
ancianita
(39,557 posts)This is a constitutional issue, not a contract issue.
AncientOfDays
(218 posts)... people will stop watching/buying Disney content. Already "sanitized" versions of content are out there, only the cultists imbibe.
Wingus Dingus
(8,583 posts)which businesses were successful and which failed? I guess they got impatient waiting for Disney to "go broke" after "going woke", so now DeSadist has to step in and try to control their creative direction. It's a horse he can't stop whipping, as long as it gets him the culture-war attention he seeks.
Quanto Magnus
(1,074 posts)and while I do see some sarcasm in that statement....
just no.... they've never been about it.... They've lied about being for it for decades.... absolutely!
haele
(13,864 posts)I'm sure Disney is as worried as Chevron would be if Florida added fees and regulations to franchise owners.
Disney parks in Florida are what precent of Disney revenue, plus what percent of Disney costs?
And it's not like Disney doesn't already have a 50 year plan in place to deal with climate change in Florida, so I suppose they could save money by turning it into a 20 year plan to shutter the parks and other venues if DiSantis pushed his little Hitler act too far.
Haele
PlutosHeart
(1,445 posts)If Disney just pulled out of Florida that would end the conversation since people would be royally pissed. Might even be enough to bring him down.
Have to imagine there are other States that would welcome the parks.
FBaggins
(27,979 posts)Just pull out of Florida.
As if that would be no big deal for this huge company but would be devastating for DeSantis.
Little could be further from the truth. It could drive Disney/ABC into bankruptcy.
jmowreader
(51,825 posts)Youre talking about relocating a small city, and theyre in Orlando for a reason: its exactly two days drive from New York City to Orlando.
Initech
(103,459 posts)This whole thing started because Desantis is trying to win points with Fox and the right wing echo chamber so he could run for president. Everything he's following is straight out of Trump's playbook, but without the insane rage tweets.
Trump is just a symptom. Fox / AM radio / Sinclair / John Birch / Federalist Society / megachurches are the real problem that is facing this country. Trump's just a useful idiot to them, when he becomes too much of a risk, he'll be cast aside, and that's what it looks like is happening now. Same thing will happen to Desantis and anyone these assholes decide to run in the future. We have got to realize that the propaganda is the problem.
Initech
(103,459 posts)Assuming he can get his head out of Rupert Murdoch's first.
sakabatou
(43,915 posts)Zilli
(286 posts)does that mean that he now controls the world wide holdings of the Disney Company? He now controls the movie industry, the streaming sites and has control over content around the world? He has lost his mind and I'm hoping that Boba Fett and Fennec will pay him a visit. Especially Fennec.
BlueWaveNeverEnd
(10,735 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(157,918 posts)This new law will not affect WDW operations
Link to tweet
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-did-disney-actually-lose-from-its-florida-battle-with-desantis/ar-AA187kz2?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5faa3681c21e476c81569612f4f914a5&ei=42
While the new law delivers some significant changes, the most crucial one is the canceling of a previous mandate that would have resulted in the total dissolution of the district. That earlier law, which DeSantis and state legislators rushed across the finish line in a sprint last spring, would have left taxpayers in Orange and Osceola counties, the two districts Disney straddles, saddled with debt owed by the district.
That was something that a lot of people were worried about, said Jacob Schumer, an attorney specializing in Florida local government and tax laws who has written about the bond-debt issue. Nothing is going to change. The disaster that was gonna hit the county and the taxpayers around here other than Disney its not going to affect them......
But in other ways, its mostly business as usual, at least for now, experts say. Many essential privileges that made Reedy Creek unique remain intact, including the ability to issue bonds. Those are the special things about what Reedy Creek did, Schumer said.
Reedy Creek was born in part from the lessons that brothers Walt and Roy Disney learned from operating Disneyland in Anaheim, which opened in 1955. Their ambitions were curtailed by government red tape, having to work with the city for public services and on zoning issues. As the brothers looked to expand Disneys footprint only 10% of the people who came to Disneyland in California came from east of the Mississippi River they wanted to have their own self-regulating system. The company eventually settled on Florida and worked with lawmakers to establish the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 1967. The theme park opened a few years later in 1971.
The district, spanning about 40 square miles in Orange and Osceola counties, provides everything from fire protection and emergency medical services to water systems, flood control and electric power generation. Its boundaries include four theme parks, two water parks, a sports complex, 175 miles of roadway, the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, utility centers, more than 40,000 hotel rooms and hundreds of restaurants and retail stores, according to its website.
maxrandb
(16,214 posts)The entire state of Florida should be boycotted to run, just for giving this fuckstick power, but seriously, double-fuck any business or corporation that is "just going to see how this goes".
Kid Berwyn
(19,071 posts)No mention of the fascism at all.
maxrandb
(16,214 posts)but said; "meh, how bad could he be?", or "let's just see how he governs", or "meh..its only 4 years, what damage could he do?"
Silence, in the face of fascism, is complicity.
Kid Berwyn
(19,071 posts)Our voices were cough outweighed by those with deeper pockets and louder megaphones.
We did try.
Leap Day 2016:
The Klansmen and Mobsters in Donald Trumps Closet
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10027648406