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

[Christine]

Problem is the audit comes off entirely accusatory and slanted rather than just a basic presenting of facts and evidence to back up claims. Even reading through their evidence that’s associated with the audit is rather weak and doesn’t amount to much in the way of egregious corruption as the report presents.

The complaints are concerning, but the evidence is lacking, hence the report is full of language to give the idea of RCID full of cronyism.

As someone involved in audits, I totally agree with you. The language in the audit was definitely bizarre and emotional, almost. I believe that every organization that is getting tax breaks needs to be routinely audited by an independent auditor and have the facts clearly presented. Disney may very well have many infractions but it's really very hard to take it seriously with the way it's written and with such clear bias.

 

[HokieRaven5]

As someone involved in audits, I totally agree with you. The language in the audit was definitely bizarre and emotional, almost. I believe that every organization that is getting tax breaks needs to be routinely audited by an independent auditor and have the facts clearly presented. Disney may very well have many infractions but it's really very hard to take it seriously with the way it's written and with such clear bias.

The phrase that came to mind: “If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts; if you have the law on your side, pound the law; if you have neither the facts nor the law, pound the table."

Audit reads more like pounding the table at times with the language use.

 

[wvjules]

This audit is hardly independent and calling it such is an insult to truly independent audits.

 

[Disneychick13]

Problem is the audit comes off entirely accusatory and slanted rather than just a basic presenting of facts and evidence to back up claims. Even reading through their evidence that’s associated with the audit is rather weak and doesn’t amount to much in the way of egregious corruption as the report presents.

The complaints are concerning, but the evidence is lacking, hence the report is full of language to give the idea of RCID full of cronyism.

Oh yeah I mean I didn’t read the whole thing but not surprising that it tends toward the dramatic. My point was why are people bringing up a person that has nothing to do with the report. That sounds a little like pounding the table too. (you know, if you had the facts to support why the report is flawed, bring them up not a person that you just don’t like and might be a flawed human being but actually has zero to do with the audit).

I‘m not a lawyer or an auditor so I will refer to people who have expertise in those areas to debate the topic on whether the points in the report are valid. Talking about a person on the current board might be humorous and all but really brings nothing of substance to the table.

As someone involved in audits, I totally agree with you. The language in the audit was definitely bizarre and emotional, almost. I believe that every organization that is getting tax breaks needs to be routinely audited by an independent auditor and have the facts clearly presented. Disney may very well have many infractions but it's really very hard to take it seriously with the way it's written and with such clear bias.

Thanks for the input. I know nothing about audits. Helpful to put it in context.

 

[john7994]

Oh yeah I mean I didn’t read the whole thing but not surprising that it tends toward the dramatic. My point was why are people bringing up a person that has nothing to do with the report. That sounds a little like pounding the table too. (you know, if you had the facts to support why the report is flawed, bring them up not a person that you just don’t like and might be a flawed human being but actually has zero to do with the audit).

I‘m not a lawyer or an auditor so I will refer to people who have expertise in those areas to debate the topic on whether the points in the report are valid. Talking about a person on the current board might be humorous and all but really brings nothing of substance to the table.


Thanks for the input. I know nothing about audits. Helpful to put it in context.

Sorry, I just can’t really shed a tear for fending off allegations on the new board in the midst of all their righteous calls for morality, justice and fairness - we are well past that now aren’t we?

I think it’s a little hard and somewhat disingenuous to suggest separating the intertwined layers of interests at play here. I know for some, they want to pretend that all of this RCID stuff was some deep-seeded wrong finally being righted devoid from politics and the targeting of specific corporate action on a hot button campaign issue that was even written and bragged upon in a book for all to read.

Do the allegations of private behavior of the new board member warrant ridicule separate from this “audit” - sure maybe - if we’re expected to all take the high road. But if anything is being taught loudly and repetitively these days, taking the low road is far easier and apparently has more instant gratification. The genie has been let out of the bottle - we can’t just stuff it back in when it suits us either.

Oh I know, I can hear the cries of ‘whataboutisms’ and two wrongs don’t make a right - that train has also left the station - not sure why one group is forced to play by rules ignored by the other - which makes the allegations on said board member that much more ironic to the overarching realities at play. Personally, I don’t care what that person does in their own home or bedroom in so far as it’s legal and consensual - but apparently Disney must pay with extreme prejudice - and likely they have and they will continue to do so - as will everyone else downstream. It is what it is …

 

[longboard55]

Reedy Creek was established so Florida taxpayers did not have to pay for infrastructure required for Disney. It saved them money, this whole thing is a total joke. In todays world states would give away million in benefits to get a Disney, it cost Florida nothing

 

[whiteness]

Go look at his YouTube videos. He's apparently got a huge axe to grind over Disney. Everyone of those videos is negative toward Disney and cheering for it. Seems to be a huge advocate for a certain former President. Are any of the videos truthful or misleading? I do not know, but there's enough bias in his products to know that he is not a neutral evaluator of anything. Thought I'd see some balanced subject matter but that's not happening with this internet lawyer.

I would love to see someone who's pro-Disney put out a similar video going through the audit in detail and refuting every claim. If anyone finds one, post a link. I'd definitely watch it.

 

[Disneychick13]

It’s always super weird to me how one-sided people tend to be. Like I like Disney (obviously I’m on a Disney message board). I like their theme parks, I like a lot of their movies/TV series. But I also don’t agree with a lot of their political leanings/public comments. I know (because I live on Earth) that Disney is a huge corporation that is always going to maximize profits and has almost certainly been able to bend the laws/regulations because they have always enjoyed so much political favor in Florida (and elsewhere). I can recognize that, although their original RCID deal was truly not only necessary at the time and has long been very beneficial to them, might have run it’s course and also might not have been in the best interests for all parties involved.

Likewise, I really like Desantis and a lot of what he has done for Florida. I don’t agree with every piece of legislation that he has signed and I didn’t particularly think this was a fight he should have picked with Disney (even if I agree that RCID was probably going to end sometime and maybe should have long ago). I don’t like the way board members were picked and that there wasn’t some representation of Disney on the board. I also hated how Disney made that last minute deal that was put in place to give a big middle finger to the new board. It made them look really petty and small. I don’t like all the tit for tat lawsuits. And I think that audit was a direct result of Disney thumbing their nose at Florida and the new board. That feels gross too.

I can’t really fathom how anyone thinks Disney or the state of FL/new board/Desantis really looks good in this. This thread is just more of the tit for tat that we’ve already seen from all the parties involved. Except it elevated from attack on the government or a business to one on a person. Ugh.

 

[Smugpugmug]

The fact that the Daily Wire was the chosen source for accuracy is in itself quite humorous!



And it will be law that one must choose a loofah color to attach to their car ~ probably even have to pay too much for it through the DMV.

With the total takeover of Florida by the Villages, every Floridian is gifted a golf cart (that can be modded to go over 25 MPH) and granted access to drive them as if they're playing Mario Kart.

I've witnessed firsthand how these golf carr drivers drive. It's wild out there.

 

[jimmymc]

Sounds like quite the clickbait headline to appeal to the anti-Disney conservative crowd. Political deals happen all the time. Let's not pretend every factory town in the US doesn't give the main business tax breaks in exchange for not leaving and decimating the local economy.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Sounds like quite the clickbait headline to appeal to the anti-Disney conservative crowd. Political deals happen all the time. Let's not pretend every factory town in the US doesn't give the main business tax breaks in exchange for not leaving and decimating the local economy.

Yeah but in this case the factory town and the main business were the same people.

 

[Brian Noble]

Independent Audit

I think Inigo Montoya said it best:

 

[jimmymc]

Yeah but in this case the factory town and the main business were the same people.

Orlando in the 1970s was 1/5th the size it is today and immensely boosted by Disney moving in. There was some tourism at the time, but nowhere near what it is now.

 

[princesscinderella]

Here's some guy who claims to be a lawyer with experience in Florida Special Districts going over the audit report in great detail and explaining all the issues raised. I'm not a lawyer, so I cannot confirm or deny anything he's saying, but it's certainly very "interesting" if true.

Again, I'm not a lawyer, but it's kind of hard for me to imagine Disney will not get charged with something. And, whether or not one agrees with the motivations, I think shaking up the Special District was probably the right thing and long overdue.

I was out driving delivering gift baskets all morning so I figured I’d listen to the link you posted from this lawyer. I made it 45 minutes into the video and absolutely nothing was said about the audit it was just this guy rambling about how much of an expert he is and thanking people for hitting the like button. He reminded me too much of my BIL who is an expert on everything, while knowing not much of anything and just likes to hear himself talk. I couldn’t stomach hearing him talk anymore to get to whatever criminal allegations against Disney he kept teasing. I wish I had the 45 minutes back listening to Christmas music instead.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Orlando in the 1970s was 1/5th the size it is today and immensely boosted by Disney moving in. There was some tourism at the time, but nowhere near what it is now.

Sure. But so what?

 

[jimmymc]

Sure. But so what?

You said the factory town and business are the same people in small town, and I would argue that in the 70's that was also the case in Orlando.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

You said the factory town and business are the same people in small town, and I would argue that in the 70's that was also the case in Orlando.

But it’s not 1970 anymore

 

[jimmymc]

But it’s not 1970 anymore

That's when the district was created. And I'd argue it still serves the same purpose today, allowing Disney to maintain their own infrastructure without putting that on the county or town.

 

[whiteness]

I was out driving delivering gift baskets all morning so I figured I’d listen to the link you posted from this lawyer. I made it 45 minutes into the video and absolutely nothing was said about the audit it was just this guy rambling about how much of an expert he is and thanking people for hitting the like button. He reminded me too much of my BIL who is an expert on everything, while knowing not much of anything and just likes to hear himself talk. I couldn’t stomach hearing him talk anymore to get to whatever criminal allegations against Disney he kept teasing. I wish I had the 45 minutes back listening to Christmas music instead.

Apparently the same guy posted a "summary" of the main issues:

Full disclosure: I have not watched this! But it's relatively short, so maybe more palatable to people.

Oh, yeah, I always use YouTube's speed setting when I watch stuff like that on YouTube. I set it as high as I can and still understand it. Some people are "slow talkers!" Also, YouTube has a feature where you can hover your mouse over the time scrollbar (or whatever it is called) and get a little thumbnail of the video at that point. So, you can move to where this guy is actually displaying the contents of the audit and click to skip to that point.

If you watch enough YouTube content that way, you get pretty good at it, so "chatty" people like this guy don't really bother me, anymore. It seems like he live streams stuff, and if you watch it live, you'd get stuck watching him calling out to people and trying to get subscriptions or whatever you do on YouTube to get paid. He's trying to make a living off this, apparently. I don't begrudge him that, and I wish him well, but I'm probably not going to subscribe, either.

But I've also seen my fair share of live stream Disney content. There are people that basically walk around the parks all day and ask people to vote on what they should eat for lunch. But, if you want to see the opening day of some festival or whatever, they can be useful. If you wait until they've been live for a while, you can use the same "fast forward" trick, and jump around to the interesting bits. I probably waste way too much time on YouTube, but I really do watch this stuff.

 

[Kwami]

Is there a copy of the audit available from an official website so that I don't have to give a terrible website like The Daily Caller any traffic?

Given the introduction posted here earlier and the fact that it's sponsored by the CFTOD board, I'm sure that the entire thing is ridiculous and nonsensical, but I'd like to read it, anyway.