Dictator DeSantis?

[Gospel]

Well if Florida state loves all the sales tax revenue (which they absolutely do) they best make sure Disney doesn't do anything beyond break a nail over all this.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Trying to run a state like a dictator isn't easy.

In a statement quietly posted April 21, Disney informed investors that despite the recent law abolishing its special tax district by 2023, the state of Florida can’t actually do that unless it also covers all outstanding debts associated with the district. Subsequently, the company told investors it intends to conduct business as usual for the time being.

Disney got bonds to pay for things... so they need to make bond payments. With a dissolution, the bond agreement is problematic at best. Florida would need to step in and pay it off.

 

[Bronzeage]

Reedy Creek repeal could mean a huge tax increase for Orange County

The move many say was intended to punish Disney, punishes the people of Orange County as well, according to Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph.

www.wesh.com

Would the counties now just tax Disney?

What incentive is there for Disney to stay in Florida?

Plenty. It would be much cheaper to run DeSantis out of Florida and the Disney organization is fully capable of conducting a clandestine operation, whether it would be to promote a Democrat or a moderate Republican to challenge him.

All of the land that is now Disney World was bought by a group of land acquisition companies, which appeared to be unrelated to one another. Each quietly bought properties while Disney agents were in Louisiana, making inquiries into large land parcels along Interstate-10. It caused a short lived land boom, as people tried to cash in on the new Disney park. This was in the 1960s and I'm sure Disney still has the covert skills to do something like that again.

 

[TomC]

Plenty. It would be much cheaper to run DeSantis out of Florida and the Disney organization is fully capable of conducting a clandestine operation, whether it would be to promote a Democrat or a moderate Republican to challenge him.

The thing is that "running Desantis out of Florida" wouldn't require all that much money. What it would need more is truly masterful media manipulation. Something Disney has mountains of experience doing.
Tom

 

[RVonse]

Looks like DeSantis got pissed off at Disney lobbying against his "don't say gay" bill. So this Florida governor has now taken away tax and regulatory breaks for a major corporation. Hard to believe this could happen today but DeSantis has the balls.

Finally we see a win win situation where everyone should be pleased and happy! The democrats think corporations should always be regulated and pay more taxes and DeSantis has made sure that happens for them. And the republicans should be happy now as well. Republicans do not want gays to be taught in the schools so will be pleased pro-gay Disney has been punished. Disney now lossing its monopoly in Florida and will henceforth compete on level ground with their competitors (Universal Studios and Sea World).

In a better world, Disney would never have been able to bribe politicians in the first place. Besides all the obvious corruption, this was a violation of equal protection of the law. Neither should corporations be counted as people when it comes to laws like the "don't say gay" bill.

So I say win, win.

 

[Patooka]

*cough*

 

[Elixir]

Mice with horns … another unintended consequence of RW social meddling.

 

[Elixir]

DeSantis has the balls.

Too bad they’re where the brains should be.

 

[Bronzeage]

Florida has a strange bit of civil law which allows a corporation which owns enough land to assume some government power over their property. It gets complicated, but the corporation pays an assessment to the local government that would have jurisdiction. In the case of Disney, this was $163 million a year.
What DeSantes did was dissolve Disney's special district. This also eliminates Disney's $163 million obligation. Right now, the local governments are trying to figure out how they are going to make up a sudden $163 million shortfall.

 

[ZiprHead]

So you think it's okay that a company gets punished, by the government no less, for criticising a public policy?

 

[RVonse]

So you think it's okay that a company gets punished, by the government no less, for criticising a public policy?

No, that's not how I feel at all. I don't think companies should be treated like people in the first place because they are not individual people. I was against citizens united and still do not believe our largest corporations should be allowed to have such monetary influence on government that is always looking for campaign contributions. I have always said that money is not free speech...free speech comes from your mouth and money comes from your wallet. The republicans think they are one and the same....I do not.

But as far as criticizing public policy, I think all of us (even the big corporations) should be able to do that. Just make sure everyone has an equal voice to be heard.

 

[Ford]

Moving to other news, Governor Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order banning the candy Skittles after he found out their slogan was "Taste the Rainbow." Meanwhile, the Florida House of Representatives has introduced a bill to set off a nuclear weapon in Key West. Said the main sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Beau Dingleberry (R, Okeechobee) "I honestly never knew there was so much gay down there, but when I found out, I was pretty mad. Next on my agenda is a bill to outlaw South Beach entirely."

 

[Elixir]

Meanwhile, the Florida House of Representatives has introduced a bill to set off a nuclear weapon in Key West

There are gay people in Tallahassee too.
Just sayin’ …

 

[ZiprHead]

So you think it's okay that a company gets punished, by the government no less, for criticising a public policy?

No, that's not how I feel at all. I don't think companies should be treated like people in the first place because they are not individual people. I was against citizens united and still do not believe our largest corporations should be allowed to have such monetary influence on government that is always looking for campaign contributions. I have always said that money is not free speech...free speech comes from your mouth and money comes from your wallet. The republicans think they are one and the same....I do not.

But as far as criticizing public policy, I think all of us (even the big corporations) should be able to do that. Just make sure everyone has an equal voice to be heard.

Citizen United has nothing to do with speech in this case. The government is strictly forbidden to punish anyone for simple speech.

Considering your argument in the Musk/Twitter thread, I'm surprised you don't understand this.

 

[Gospel]

Desantis saw that Trump was allowed to get away with leading an insurrection so he figured he can exact retribution on a corporation because it's not as bad.

 

[bleubird]

It is very unlikely this will be acted on. $163 million in new taxes,and the $1 billion in bonds must be paid off first.

 

[Swammerdami]

Finally we see a win win situation where everyone should be pleased and happy! The democrats think corporations should always be regulated and pay more taxes and DeSantis has made sure that happens for them.

What insipid wrong-headed gibberish! How can you expect people to read your posts with respect when you need to indulge in such drivel?

Florida has a strange bit of civil law which allows a corporation which owns enough land to assume some government power over their property. It gets complicated, but the corporation pays an assessment to the local government that would have jurisdiction. In the case of Disney, this was $163 million a year.
What DeSantes did was dissolve Disney's special district. This also eliminates Disney's $163 million obligation. Right now, the local governments are trying to figure out how they are going to make up a sudden $163 million shortfall.

Furthermore the special district has issued $1 billion of outstanding bonds. What do the bondholders do when their debtor ceases to exist? (Disney has no obligation to redeem.)

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Looks like DeSantis got pissed off at Disney lobbying against his "don't say gay" bill.

Wrong, Disney said nothing about the bill before it was signed into law.

So this Florida governor has now taken away tax and regulatory breaks for a major corporation.

Yes and no. Disney actually owns two cities as well in this area, so it is possible they can just transition all of this stuff to those cities. Desantis can't nearly as easily dissolves two cities.

Hard to believe this could happen today but DeSantis has the balls.

Certainly does. It takes steel balls to put Florida on the hook for $1 billion in bond payments because you are personally upset that a corporation talked out against a bill.

 

[southernhybrid]

Disney is already fighting this and they most likely have better lawyers than DeSantis does. Didn't we already discuss his stupidity in a different thread? All he was trying to do was to piss off the Dems and hope that his homophobic supporters will help him get reelected in November. Sad.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Finally we see a win win situation where everyone should be pleased and happy! The democrats think corporations should always be regulated and pay more taxes and DeSantis has made sure that happens for them.

What insipid wrong-headed gibberish! How can you expect people to read your posts with respect when you need to indulge in such drivel?

Dude, just count yourself lucky you are post 9/11 CT threads here. That'd given you a pretty good baseline.