Independent Audit Blasts Disney For Pulling ‘Bait And Switch’ On Florida: ‘A Mousetrap’

[Kwami]

At this point, since they have much more to lose from now on...it would probably take the CEO immediately stepping down (since he was still Chairman during the "opening act") and someone being appointed from outside the company for a fresh start. And that new person coming in with conciliatory tones towards Florida (ignoring the Gov, but a "we love Florida - their support, their people, etc, etc - campaign). That would be my crisis management suggestion.

You can couch the removal as a "going to enjoy retirement", "taking care of family", "health issue" - it doesn't really matter. But b/c Disney became a corporate lightning rod, that's their best path b/c it's one they are gonna do anyway in 2 years b/c the CEO is so old...so it costs them very little and can gain them very much...

Edit to Add: And it helps that no one really loves the CEO now anyway, so his stepping down would not engender a lot of negativity from the current fan base Disney has...

Bob Iger was not chairman at the time. He left that post on December 31, 2021. The "Don't Say Gay" controversy happened in 2022.

So, Disney already did what you suggest. They fired the CEO and brought in a different one who constantly says how much Disney loves Florida and wants to invest in Florida and who has repeatedly tried to talk with DeSantis about the ongoing troubles.

But, none of that matters. The only way that Disney stops being a "corporate lightning rod" is... um... well, that's can't. They aren't going to suddenly stop embracing the LGBTQ+ community, so a bunch of people are always going to get mad when a Disney film has a gay character or when WDW has a gay pride night. And they aren't going to suddenly turn against feminism and equality, either, so you'll always have people calling their movies "woke" when the leads are women. And they aren't going to stop using DEI programs and other initiatives to increase representation at the company and on screen, so that'll annoy people, too. You get the idea.

Let's be real. Bud Light had one trans person take a photo with their beer cans and people freaked out. Bud Light hasn't made another ad with a trans person. They started talking about how they were a real American company with American values. They even tried selling camo cans to pander to right-wing trans haters! Did it matter? Of course not. So, it seems that once you've been branded as "woke" by the nutters, there's no going back.

And when DeSantis is on the other side and his whole image is "never back down", then there's probably nothing that Disney could do to end the controversy in Florida short of full surrender. That would probably be terrible for the company.

Oh, well.

 

[longboard55]

Bob Iger was not chairman at the time. He left that post on December 31, 2021. The "Don't Say Gay" controversy happened in 2022.

So, Disney already did what you suggest. They fired the CEO and brought in a different one who constantly says how much Disney loves Florida and wants to invest in Florida and who has repeatedly tried to talk with DeSantis about the ongoing troubles.

But, none of that matters. The only way that Disney stops being a "corporate lightning rod" is... um... well, that's can't. They aren't going to suddenly stop embracing the LGBTQ+ community, so a bunch of people are always going to get mad when a Disney film has a gay character or when WDW has a gay pride night. And they aren't going to suddenly turn against feminism and equality, either, so you'll always have people calling their movies "woke" when the leads are women. And they aren't going to stop using DEI programs and other initiatives to increase representation at the company and on screen, so that'll annoy people, too. You get the idea.

Let's be real. Bud Light had one trans person take a photo with their beer cans and people freaked out. Bud Light hasn't made another ad with a trans person. They started talking about how they were a real American company with American values. They even tried selling camo cans to pander to right-wing trans haters! Did it matter? Of course not. So, it seems that once you've been branded as "woke" by the nutters, there's no going back.

And when DeSantis is on the other side and his whole image is "never back down", then there's probably nothing that Disney could do to end the controversy in Florida short of full surrender. That would probably be terrible for the company.

Oh, well.

It was never about Disney, it was about a politician looking for attention. He won the battle but is losing the war

 

[Disneychick13]

Oh, here's some other Questionable headlines (Trigger Warning: These all go to Inside the Magic articles)...

Goodbye! Disney World Theme Park Closure Begins Imminently, No Reopening Date in Sight​

Disney World to Close Down Park for Several Days​

Disney’s Latest Expansion Deemed Future Lawsuit, Warning Issued to Guests​

Do you think it would be a good idea to post these headlines "as is" on these boards and NOT expect criticism?

Yeah who cares? Aren’t they all considered click-bait? There’s lots of weird headlines or titles that people don’t freak out about. You just click on it if you want to and comment if you want and….move on. Not “demand” someone change the title of a …thread on a …message board.

 

[Disneychick13]

You posted a misleading title that supported your false narrative. Yet even after several days when presented with compelling evidence you haven't changed it speaks volumes.

It was your choice to create a false narrative. You still have a chance here to right some wrongs if you choose to do so.

Looks to me that you are far more triggered than anyone has has been - many people seem to think it’s kind of a joke … I think people were trying to have a real conversation with someone that by their own admission doesn’t really care about the topic and was only meant to trigger people in the first place …

The person who posted didn’t sound like they were joking. They sounded like they were very stressed out about the title of a thread on a message board. That’s all I was joking about with my clearly absurd alternate title suggestions. Apologies of course if my joke about someone else‘s joke (?) got taken as anything but a …..joke. Obviously the thought of being upset about the title of a thread really is funny.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yeah who cares? Aren’t they all considered click-bait? There’s lots of weird headlines or titles that people don’t freak out about. You just click on it if you want to and comment if you want and….move on. Not “demand” someone change the title of a …thread on a …message board.

No one is "freaking out". Personally, I didn't see a "demand" a title change. Maybe we read it different.

You are right, they are "click-bait" articles. And this was a "click-bait" thread title. Which, if the OP wants to be known for "click-baiting", that's totally on them.

 

[Disneychick13]

No one is "freaking out". Personally, I didn't see a "demand" a title change. Maybe we read it different.

You are right, they are "click-bait" articles. And this was a "click-bait" thread title. Which, if the OP wants to be known for "click-baiting", that's totally on them.

You might be right. I might have misinterpreted what a PP said. I was just taken aback I guess and thought I would post a tongue in cheek response.

Generally the only titles I find disturbing include the words “dinning” or “ressies”

 

[CamillaF]

I don't see any new allegations in the report. The biggest issue is if the district has cost the area money by not investing in schools/ library/ housing etc for it's workforce. There are a lot of these districts around and I believe they were made to keep the local taxes lower so that they locals were not paying for the infrastructure to support these big developments. If they are not working then all of the many special districts should be dissolved. However I am reading that in doing that it would cost the local property taxes to go up to support the current infrastructure that is paid for by the districts and so if that is true then they all should stay.

 

[bcla]

I don't see any new allegations in the report. The biggest issue is if the district has cost the area money by not investing in schools/ library/ housing etc for it's workforce. There are a lot of these districts around and I believe they were made to keep the local taxes lower so that they locals were not paying for the infrastructure to support these big developments. If they are not working then all of the many special districts should be dissolved. However I am reading that in doing that it would cost the local property taxes to go up to support the current infrastructure that is paid for by the districts and so if that is true then they all should stay.

That seems pretty silly. Their workforce either owns or lives in rentals where the landlord ostensibly pays the same property taxes as everyone else. I've looked over a typical Disney property tax bill. They're paying over double the mill rate for the special district in addition to normal county taxes.

There's been this massive myth that Reedy Creek ID was formed as a tax dodge, which is absolutely ludicrous. Disney is still paying a considerably higher tax bill voluntarily, and they're still on the hook for normal county ad valorem and supplemental property taxes, even though they don't use many of these services. I specifically saw school district and library taxes on one of these tax bills.

I looked up parcel 35-24-27-0000-00-004 from the Orange County Assessor's office and here's their 2023 tax bill. I believe it's just a conservation easement of some kind, but they're clearly paying state and local public school taxes and library taxes.

Taxing Authority	Assd Value	Exemption	Tax Value	Millage Rate	%	Taxes	Tax Breakdown
Public Schools: By State Law (Rle)	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	3.1730	-1.3%	$12.52	12%
Public Schools: By Local Board	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	3.2480	0.0%	$12.82	12%
General County	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	4.4347	0.0%	$17.50	17%
City Of Bay Lake	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	1.8850	-11.4%	$7.44	7%
Library - Operating Budget	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	0.3748	0.0%	$1.48	1%
South Florida Water Management District	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	0.0948	0.0%	$0.37	0%
South Florida Wmd Okeechobee Basin	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	0.1026	0.0%	$0.40	0%
South Florida Wmd Everglades Const	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	0.0327	0.0%	$0.13	0%
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	8.9900	-2.9%	$35.48	34%
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Debt	$22,810	$18,863	$3,947	3.9600	-14.7%	$15.63	15%
Totals				26.2956		$103.77

 

[bcla]

I played around with the assessor's page and found a more expensive property - 1534 W Buena Vista Dr in Bay Lake, where Disney is listed as the taxpayer.

This is for 2020, so it says RCID instead of CFTOD.

Taxing Authority	Assd Value	Exemption	Tax Value	Millage Rate	%	Taxes	Tax Breakdown
Reedy Creek Impr.	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	11.1429		$692,329.50	45%
Public Schools: By State Law (Rle)	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	3.6090		$224,234.02	15%
Public Schools: By Local Board	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	3.2480		$201,804.39	13%
General County	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	4.4347		$275,536.30	18%
City Of Bay Lake	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	1.6237		$100,883.56	7%
Library - Operating Budget	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	0.3748		$23,287.04	2%
South Florida Water Management District	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	0.1103		$6,853.15	0%
South Florida Wmd Okeechobee Basin	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	0.1192		$7,406.12	0%
South Florida Wmd Everglades Const	$62,131,895	$0	$62,131,895	0.0380		$2,361.01	0%
Totals				24.7006		$1,534,695.07

 

[Sykes]

There's been this massive myth that Reedy Creek ID was formed as a tax dodge, which is absolutely ludicrous.

That's not an accident--trying to sell RCID as a tax dodge, even when it is intellectually dishonest, has been a key part of the messaging since day one. Even this audit spends a significant amount of text complaining that RCID, a district that is for all practical purposes completely devoid of any residents whatsoever, didn't build any schools or libraries in the district ... while conveniently omitting that Disney is one of the largest taxpayers in both Osceola and Orange counties and is substantially funding those resources in the locations where they actually belong.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

But, none of that matters. The only way that Disney stops being a "corporate lightning rod" is... um... well, that's can't. They aren't going to suddenly stop embracing the LGBTQ+ community, so a bunch of people are always going to get mad when a Disney film has a gay character or when WDW has a gay pride night. And they aren't going to suddenly turn against feminism and equality, either, so you'll always have people calling their movies "woke" when the leads are women. And they aren't going to stop using DEI programs and other initiatives to increase representation at the company and on screen, so that'll annoy people, too. You get the idea.

Disney's troubles with movies are not about having gay characters or female leads...that is just flat out lazy thinking. It is the complete abandonment of compelling storytelling in order to push socio-political messages. That what is meant by "woke". And they did it on purpose.

Flip the script and look at almost all Christian based movies. They stink. Badly. And for the exact same reason: abandonment of storytelling in order to push a message at all costs.

As for DEI programs...the pendulum has swung to far. Disney has wound up as an echo chamber that thinks it is best to push socio-political messages at the expense of good storytelling...or, worse, as a group that is simply unable to write compelling stories.

 

[sam_gordon]

Disney's troubles with movies are not about having gay characters or female leads...that is just flat out lazy thinking. It is the complete abandonment of compelling storytelling in order to push socio-political messages. That what is meant by "woke". And they did it on purpose.

Flip the script and look at almost all Christian based movies. They stink. Badly. And for the exact same reason: abandonment of storytelling in order to push a message at all costs.

As for DEI programs...the pendulum has swung to far. Disney has wound up as an echo chamber that thinks it is best to push socio-political messages at the expense of good storytelling...or, worse, as a group that is simply unable to write compelling stories.

I personally don't think it's one or the other. Buzz Lightyear jumps out at me, because while I agree it wasn't very good, but the "socio-political push" wasn't really a big part of the story line. It just wasn't a good movie.

I agree the "push" shouldn't be a key part of the story, but just because there is a "push" doesn't mean it must be bad.

This all makes sense in my head.

 

[Kwami]

Disney's troubles with movies are not about having gay characters or female leads...that is just flat out lazy thinking. It is the complete abandonment of compelling storytelling in order to push socio-political messages. That what is meant by "woke". And they did it on purpose.

Flip the script and look at almost all Christian based movies. They stink. Badly. And for the exact same reason: abandonment of storytelling in order to push a message at all costs.

As for DEI programs...the pendulum has swung to far. Disney has wound up as an echo chamber that thinks it is best to push socio-political messages at the expense of good storytelling...or, worse, as a group that is simply unable to write compelling stories.

Maybe, but you're actually thinking and being somewhat reasonable. The majority of the "anti-woke" crowd out there just hates anything "woke" and becoming unwoke once you've been branded is just about impossible. So, why bother?

If Disney needs better writers, then Disney should find better writers. I don't think anyone is against that idea. But I thin it's dishonest to say that poor storytelling is the primary motivator here. Consider two recent movies: Turning Red and Strange World. Both movies were OK, but not great. They weren't bad, though. Just... OK. And that's fine. Not every movie is going to be the best movie ever.

But Turning Red was controversial because... the little girl danced at the beginning of the movie and wiggled her butt. So, clearly, that movie was for "grooming" children.

And Strange World was controversial because the main character had a crush on another boy. You'd think that it might be controversial because of the pro-environment message or something, but, no. It was another "grooming" film.

For a more basic example, consider Bud Light. They didn't change the beer. The beer didn't get worse or lazy. It was the same beer as ever before. But now that a trans person likes it, it must be "woke" beer and thus boycotted.

The "anti-woke" crowd isn't rational. I wasn't being lazy when I wrote what I wrote.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

It was the same beer as ever before. But now that a trans person likes it, it must be "woke" beer and thus boycotted.

There’s more to the drop in Bud Light sales than that.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Maybe, but you're actually thinking and being somewhat reasonable. The majority of the "anti-woke" crowd out there just hates anything "woke" and becoming unwoke once you've been branded is just about impossible. So, why bother?

If Disney needs better writers, then Disney should find better writers. I don't think anyone is against that idea. But I thin it's dishonest to say that poor storytelling is the primary motivator here. Consider two recent movies: Turning Red and Strange World. Both movies were OK, but not great. They weren't bad, though. Just... OK. And that's fine. Not every movie is going to be the best movie ever.

But Turning Red was controversial because... the little girl danced at the beginning of the movie and wiggled her butt. So, clearly, that movie was for "grooming" children.

And Strange World was controversial because the main character had a crush on another boy. You'd think that it might be controversial because of the pro-environment message or something, but, no. It was another "grooming" film.

For a more basic example, consider Bud Light. They didn't change the beer. The beer didn't get worse or lazy. It was the same beer as ever before. But now that a trans person likes it, it must be "woke" beer and thus boycotted.

The "anti-woke" crowd isn't rational. I wasn't being lazy when I wrote what I wrote.

Just to say I didn't mean to call you, personally, lazy so my bad there.

It's always tough with labels but I would say many times what you refer to as the anti-woke crowd has trouble describing why they feel the way they do. Sure, sometimes it's a same sex crush that makes someone not like something and that's all they need, but oftentimes not liking something is just a vague sense of being duped into watching something that is shoe-horned in.

Disney gives us a semi-crappy movie but decides to use it as a vehicle to highlight a same sex crush instead of letting that be a part of a more excellent movie somewhere else. compare to, say, Modern Family. An excellent, funny, huge hit show for a longgg time and Cam and Mitch are a HUGE part of why that is/was.

Bud Light? A lightning rod. And an obvious way for people to vote their feelings. Say what you will about that but it isn't irrational in my view.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I personally don't think it's one or the other. Buzz Lightyear jumps out at me, because while I agree it wasn't very good, but the "socio-political push" wasn't really a big part of the story line. It just wasn't a good movie.

I agree the "push" shouldn't be a key part of the story, but just because there is a "push" doesn't mean it must be bad.

This all makes sense in my head.

But does it even get made if it isn't for the "push" you reference? Who is deciding to green light these crappy movies and on what basis? Because it sure isn't stories.

 

[Smugpugmug]

But does it even get made if it isn't for the "push" you reference? Who is deciding to green light these crappy movies and on what basis? Because it sure isn't stories.

I think for Lightyear (the movie referenced in the post you quoted), that was green lit due to the Toy Story branding more than anything. Toy Story 4 made over 1 billion dollars in the box office so they probably assumed people would turn up for a Buzz Lightyear spin off/reinterpretation/whatever the hell Lightyear was.

 

[snowwite]

Freedom of speech means that you are free to say it - and you are - without the government taking action against you. It does not mean that other people won't call you out on it.

Exactly. People seem to think being free to speak absolves them of all responsibility and consequences. It doesn’t at all.

 

[snowwite]

It was never about Disney, it was about a politician looking for attention. He won the battle but is losing the war

Truth

 

[sam_gordon]

There’s more to the drop in Bud Light sales than that.

OK, I'll bite... what else?