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Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

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Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#31
post #8

Both a sensible business move and the right thing to do. If they could magically roll up the entirety of WDW and relocate it elsewhere I suspect they would.

At this point, they would be fools not to stash in a filing cabinet somewhere a plan for a WDW equivalent somewhere in one of several less hostile US states.

It wouldn’t be the same, with all of WDW’s history, direct involvement of Walt and Roy Disney, weird systems (underground garbage vacuum service, etc). But America has a lot of unoccupied land, and most states would be happy to give Disney significant leeway in exchange for long-term guaranteed taxes, jobs, and tourism.

One thing is certain: the next FL governor after DeSantis will have a gigantic mess to clean up.

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#32
post #23
post #7

To me, investing in FL is a long term looser, not because pf politics but because of Climate Change. It has been there for a bit over 50 years, 50 years from now, the potential exists that it will be a place only mermaids can visit.

Amsterdam has been below sea level since the 17th century. Not sure why more modern cities would not be able to adapt as well.

Florida is porous.

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#33
post #2

DeStantis' statements made it obvious this is political retaliation for speaking out against his legislation. I don't particularly care for either party, but Florida taxpayers are going to end up paying the bill both in settlement money and in lost jobs due to the government open hostility / retribution towards their first amendment rights. https://reason.com/2023/05/16/ron-desantis-confirms-again-th...

This isn't so much about hostility to first amendment rights, as it us about hostility to a massive and beloved corporation.

Disney is the second largest employer in the state. Pays the state over $1billion in taxes, of the state's $100billion budget [1]. And has over 50 million anual visitor's in its Florida parks in a (pre pandemic) year; which is more than twice Florida's population [2], and about a third of their anual tourists [3].

If I were a politician, this is not a fight I would want to take on.

[0] https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/data-download/enormou...

[1] https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/florida-house-and-senate...

[2] https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/FL

[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-tourism-hits-reco...

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#34
post #3

The veiled threat of, "We have plans to invest $17 billion and create 13,000 jobs [in Florida] over the next ten years. I hope we’re able to do so." is interesting. Disney is making it clear that this is potentially only the beginning.

I wouldn’t call it veiled, or even much of a threat for that matter. It’s a rational actor plainly stating facts that are readily apparent to everyone. There’s no good reason why the corporation should make any future significant investments in a state where the legal and regulatory regime is not only unpredictable but currently openly hostile. They’ve got a pretty, pretty big sunk cost in the state, so it’s not like…

[flagged]

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#35
post #23
post #7

To me, investing in FL is a long term looser, not because pf politics but because of Climate Change. It has been there for a bit over 50 years, 50 years from now, the potential exists that it will be a place only mermaids can visit.

Amsterdam has been below sea level since the 17th century. Not sure why more modern cities would not be able to adapt as well.

As I understand it, Florida’s ground is porous and it’s not possible to keep water from going under any barriers you create.

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#36
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Florida taxpayers get what they voted for, good and hard.

Millions of them did not vote for this and will suffer anyway.

True, and normal people should find ways to get them out as soon as possible.

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#38
post #2

DeStantis' statements made it obvious this is political retaliation for speaking out against his legislation. I don't particularly care for either party, but Florida taxpayers are going to end up paying the bill both in settlement money and in lost jobs due to the government open hostility / retribution towards their first amendment rights. https://reason.com/2023/05/16/ron-desantis-confirms-again-th...

I live in a republican sun belt state where the legislature’s politics have never matched my own (at least not as long as I’ve been able to vote), but until pretty recently, it was generally all mostly in the vein of smallish government, business friendly conservatism. Not necessarily my favorite, but not a dealbreaker.

Now they’re tacking hard right on social issues, threatening to cripple our quite good public university systems, and trying to strip local governments of any meaningful self determination.

Joke’s on me I guess, since I’m most likely not going to move my family, so looks like I’m gonna just bend over and take it. But it feels like we’re in the process of actively destroying our future and any remaining attraction for dynamic folks who might consider relocating or starting businesses here.

Re: Disney cancels plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida

#39
post #8

Both a sensible business move and the right thing to do. If they could magically roll up the entirety of WDW and relocate it elsewhere I suspect they would.

Where are they going to go, California? Unless they get huge tax breaks and some open land to expand on I doubt it.

They did it in Florida in the 1960’s and Disneyland Paris in the 1990’s, and they could easily do it again if they were again motivated to spend the enormous amount of money it would take.
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