DeSantis reportedly wants to bring Disney's Reedy Creek under state control

If it didn't take an appointment by DeSantis I may have wanted to seek an appointment to that new Board. I do hope they insist on (and enforce) tight ethics for these appointees.

Business Ethics: A Dissertation

(This is something angry people showing up at city hall don't understand about things they don't want built in their neighborhood, by the way.)

Welcome to my world. In my opinion, the biggest benefit of the Reedy Creek Improvement District up until now is that the decisions being made (albeit by "the company") about planning, infrastructure, etc were being made for the best business intentions and not for political expediency, retribution, or profit. Having politicians involved in those decisions, more often than not, politicizes the decision making process and makes it entirely inefficient and often times corrupt.

One need only go back and look at the history of the design of the property to see they got it right nearly all of the time. And, when they didn't, they found creative ways to solve it. (Direct access to Disney Springs from I-4, the overpasses now being built in the TTC area, the dedicated bus lanes on Buena Vista Drive, etc).

Now, I think it is more likely than not that Disney won't see any significant negative consequence of the Governor's appointees and...if they are proving to be problematic...they can likely be changed by a new Governor in 2-4 years. DeSantis will get to score what will amount to a fairly meaningless victory.

If you remove pure political victories (ones with no significance/impact outside of politics) and those claimed victories for which no credit is deserved, you would remove a significant number of victories claimed by politicians. Its the nature of politics.

wahoo skipper:

Welcome to my world.

I deeply understand that world. I worked directly for a city manager once, and blasted council members in a public meeting in his defense after they tried to play games against a widely respected career public servant.

You publicly blasted council? I understand the motivation, but did that lead to a new career choice?

Oh, I had long since moved on to other jobs. I was 100% civilian by that point.

It's funny. People think you get into positions like these and you somehow get more power or influence. The fact of the matter is, in some ways you actually lose some of your power and much of your influence...at least in the general public.

Well, it is supposed to be a position of public service, not power. Unfortunately, those who make a career of it, especially with the goal of moving up the ladder, often do it for personal gain and little else.

It's definitely the case on the elected side, but professional appointed people tend to be different. They'd make a lot more money in the private sector, but they feel like what they do is important so they stay. That's one of the reasons that I love city manager governments over strong mayor, because the executive in charge is not trying to get reelected. They're actually doing the administrative work or running a municipality.

Jeff:

I deeply understand that world. I worked directly for a city manager once, and blasted council members in a public meeting in his defense after they tried to play games against a widely respected career public servant.

Ann Arbor ran their city manager out on a rail for political reasons, and paid a non-trivial severance to do it. The good news is that every single member of the political tribe responsible for that (the BANANA* caucus) was voted out of office at the end of their then-current terms.

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BANANA: Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone. The YIMBYs now own every single city council seat.

Average tenure of a City Manager is less than 7 years. Not for the feint of heart.

The guy I worked for was there from the start of the incorporation of the city charter to his retirement. I think it was almost 30 years.

Same as the guy I worked for. The prior City Manager was our only City Manager and basically built the city along with the developer. I think those Managers are on the endangered species list and our divisive politics are one of the reasons why. This field has never been better educated and has certainly never been more conscious about ethics, but it isn't translating to longevity.

A new dimension to this... apparently three of the board members have to own land in the district and be residents of Orange, Osceola or an adjacent country. I wonder if the legislature changed that. I also wonder what land they currently own, and assume it's in that spot off Reams Rd.

"I'm not sure when exactly the Republicans abandoned being pro-business and small government." This could not be more true. And it's as though if you talk to any Republican, they either play dumb to bedrock conservative principles of pro-business and limited government OR act as though this doesn't violate either. It's astounding.

Sorry if I missed it, but I assumed Disney was going to challenge this in court and basically wait out the next couple years in court until DeSantis is gone (not sure that it really matters as Florida is turning into a fully radicalized MAGA state so the next governor will likely be just as far right as DeSantis). But did Disney say they are basically accepting this legislation?

I'm not convinced they aren't going to challenge it. They have time.

Also, Republicans who enjoy freedom and right to life don't want it to be illegal for you to get a vaccine. Nothing more freedomy and lifey than that.

I cannot even comprehend that. I really wish this was April 1 and it was all a joke. Sadly, it is Feb 21 and it is not a joke.

I am really becoming disgusted with the state of this country.

But did Disney say they are basically accepting this legislation?

Only public statement I have seen from Disney seems to indicate they will accept the new legislation. But they may be waiting for there to be an actual negative impact.

"For more than 50 years, the Reedy Creek Improvement District has operated at the highest standards, and we appreciate all that the District has done to help our destination grow and become one of the largest economic contributors and employers in the state. We are focused on the future and are ready to work within this new framework, and we will continue to innovate, inspire and bring joy to the millions of guests who come to Florida to visit Walt Disney World each year."

-Jeff Vahle, President, Walt Disney World.

A discussion about plusses and minuses for Disney in challenging:

https://news.bloombergtax.c...eedy-creek

The Party of Free Speech and Small Government (TM) also brings you the following.

The "curriculum transparency" legislation Desantis signed last year requires all library books to be approved by the "Ministry of Tr-", err, I mean, a "certified media specialist". In Duval County they have 54 of these specialists, and they are responsible for reviewing and approving the county's 1.6 million books.

Because of the chilling effect of this legislation, bookshelves have been emptied as schools, etc., try to avoid being sued. A few weeks ago a teacher posted a video showing empty bookshelves in Mandarin Middle School's fiction section, all of those books having been removed so they can, eventually, be reviewed by the truth ministers.

Cut to a week ago, when DeSantis was asked about this teacher's video making the rounds showing the outcome of the GOP's dystopian legislation. Of course, DeSantis falsely claimed the video was untrue, and in a stunning coincidence this teacher was fired the next day.