On Wednesday, “King Charles III” started trending on the hellsite, Twitter. At first I thought that Charles had screwed up in the first day of his first state visit to Germany. But no, this is the rare moment where Americans dragged the British monarch into their legal mess. For months now, Florida’s Gov. DeSantis has been engaged in a war with Disney. For decades, Disney has gotten sweetheart deals from the local and state government in Florida, and they basically (and in all senses legally) operate Disney World as their own separate fiefdom. Disney World doesn’t have to follow most of the laws of the state of Florida, basically. Disney has stood up to DeSantis when it comes to Florida’s bigoted “Don’t Say Gay” law, and Disney stands up for their LGBTQ employees. DeSantis tried to appoint a new board to oversee Disney’s operations, only Disney legally blocked DeSantis weeks ago:
The battle between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may not be over yet. The new board handpicked by the Republican governor to oversee Disney’s special taxing district said Wednesday it is considering legal action over a multi-decade agreement reached between the entertainment giant and the outgoing board in the days before the state’s hostile takeover last month.
Under the agreement – quietly approved on February 8 as Florida lawmakers met in special session to hand DeSantis control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District – Disney would maintain control over much of its vast footprint in Central Florida for 30 years and, in some cases, the board can’t take significant action without first getting approval from the company.
“This essentially makes Disney the government,” board member Ron Peri said during Wednesday’s meeting, according to video posted by an Orlando television station. “This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintaining the roads and maintaining basic infrastructure.”
In a statement to CNN, Disney stood by its actions.
“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” the company said. Documents for the February 8 meeting show it was noticed in the Orlando Sentinel as required by law.
Multiple board members did not immediately respond to request for comment. The Sentinel first reported on Wednesday’s vote to hire legal counsel.
According to a statement Wednesday night from the district’s acting counsel and its newly obtained legal counsel, the agreement gave Disney development rights throughout the district and “not just on Disney’s property,” requires the district to borrow and spend on projects that benefit the company, and gives Disney veto authority over any public project in the district.
So, what does any of this have to do with King Charles III? Well, Disney’s lawyers worked with the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District to include specific language that the deal they worked out – giving Disney vast control over their fiefdom – about how this deal “shall continue in effect until twenty one years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III.” Meaning, unless all of King Charles’s descendants get killed off, DeSantis is screwed and so are the next ten Florida governors.
The clause about King Charles III is absolutely real. The agreement — from the 2/8/23 Reedy Creek board meeting — can be found on https://t.co/6ZQMDUaVME. It appears to have been posted days after @GovRonDeSantis signed the law he says was “ending the Corporate Kingdom”. 5/ pic.twitter.com/CT9hYyIr28
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) March 29, 2023
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Jackson Memorial Hospital as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attends a press conference on the surge of coronavirus cases in Florida. Featuring: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Where: Miami, Florida, United States When: 13 Jul 2020 Credit: InStar/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SUBSCRIPTION CLIENTS. CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO DISCUSS OTHER USAGES.**
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- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on stage during a check presentation for Hurricane Ian relief before Lynyrd Skynyrd perform at Hard Rock Live held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on October 16, 2022 in Hollywood, Featuring: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Where: Hollywood, Florida, United States When: 16 Oct 2022 Credit: Robert Bell/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images
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- Commonwealth Day Service At Westminster Abbey Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
This is wild.
DeSantis is a clown. I don’t know why anyone is taking him seriously as a presidential nominee.
Unfortunately, that’s what many of us said about Trump too.
And that hair is not real right? Every time I see him it just looks like a bad wig plopped onto his head. The sides are always sticking out because they are so thick. I’ve never seen hair like that in real life.
@kaye- true but there is no way this guy is getting the nomination over trump because he’s not clownish enough honestly. He’s not unhinged enough and he’s not making up enough nick names for his opponents for the magas.
Pretty sure Trump is getting the nomination. DeSantis’ poll numbers have been dropping.
This attitude led to Trump. DeSantis is younger and smarter and so much more dangerous.
I agree with Erin that DeSantis is not clownish enough — specifically, he has no charisma and can’t perform at all well. His hateful policies are popular with the Republicans but they want entertainment too.
I’m hearing everyone who remembers that Trump was laughed off as being unserious, but DeSantis so far lacks the broader malicious charm that Trump was able to use.
Plus the fact that he managed to biff the question “where were you on 9/11?” by a friendly interviewer isn’t great. What American person who was over the age of 10 on that day doesn’t know where they were when they found out? How did that enormous event manage not to lodge itself in his brain? The only logical answer is: he was somewhere he doesn’t want people to know about and he didn’t have a stock reply.
@maida-yep, I actually hate to say it but yes, trump has charisma and desantis is a wet blanket. And that’s how trump got it in 2016 as well. The whole “he tells it like it is” has been their favorite thing about him from the beginning. He would absolutely destroy Ron in a debate because he’s a showman. And let’s be honest, the magas are all about their big tough masc man fantasy and desantis is a lot shorter than him, visually that matters to those people. There is a reason they paste trumps face on Rambo’s body and make flags and posters of it. Also, just look at the polling. It’s over.
Just wanted to add, the media might not want trump but the magas and republican voters do.
PLEASE, PLEASE take the threat of DeSantis very seriously. I live in Florida, and my kid was about to go to New College when DeSantis executed a hostile takeover of its board and turned it into some military school prototype — we immediately rescinded our deposit, and my kid is going elsewhere. [Where? not sure yet, but nowhere in Florida.]
Because of DeSantis, a member of my family who is queer is unsafe. He has fostered such a bigotted, anti-inclusive atmosphere that my actual house was graffittied with the word “f****t” back in January. Things are NOT good here, especially for people who are gay or who have gay families, and if he isn’t taken seriously —
DeSantis will do all of this terrible, fascist stuff to the entire country.
@acha- I’m sorry that you and your family are going through this and I’m not trying to downplay how terrible he is and how awful he’s made Florida and will continue to do so and he’s giving all of the other red states great ideas on top of that which is a threat not only to Florida. I just don’t think he is a real threat to trump and his presidential nomination for the ‘24 race.
FlordiaWoman, I’m so sorry for what you’re experiencing, and I absolutely agree that DeSantis is dangerous — I just think that the Republican base isn’t going to go for him in the same way they went for Trump, because he can’t hold a stage. But I could be wrong.
I’m glad your kid is going to be able to go somewhere other than New College. It is horrible how the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has ramped up, and is continuing to ramp up. I have a trans family member in a different red state and I’m truly scared for them, so I feel what you are saying. We all need to work to elect officials who will respect ALL people.
@ FloridaWoman, I am immensely sorry for your family and how you are all under attack. No one should be allowed to commit such heinous crimes against you, your family and ever other person that identifies as LGBTQ. Everyone has a right to live freely without fear and retribution. I do hope that your son finds an alternative school where he will be able to achieve his goals and live in safety.
De Satin is a stain on America and the people who live across the country. Other Repugnants are also following suit and it’s abhorrent.
@FloridaWoman – I am truly sorry to hear about how this is affecting you and your family. I am of two minds in the situation. One, I don’t think Trump is out of the game just yet and will prove to be a tough challenge for DeSantis in the primary. I also don’t think DeSantis nor his team (*ahem, his wife) are ready for primetime. But at the same time, we can’t discount his influence nationally. Particularly, when one red state gets away with a truly vile policy or policies, other red states eventually copy them. There is no doubt that he is in competition with Abbott to be the governor with the greatest influence on how red states govern.
I’m also starting to hear frightening theories being floated by Floridians, activists, and historians who speculate that DeSantis might have a plan B up his sleeve. If his presidential campaign fails, they all think his backup plan is to have Florida secede from the US and possibly start a civil war. Keep in mind that he is looking for $100M to fund a private army separate from the FL Guard. He even got the legislature last year to give him budget money for his own plane. And he and his family are to date, the most expensive first family in regards to security and travel costs. So I wouldn’t doubt that he might pull something this extreme in the face of a failed presidential bid.
There’s a yearbook photo of him when he was teaching and though he was young in it, it looks like a weird comb over. Only it looked the hair was from the back of his head instead of the side like most comb overs.
He is stupid but very very dangerous. It’s frightening how many fascists are being elected in the U.S. My husband and I will probably leave the country when he retires.
@FloridaWoman, I am so sorry for your family. I left Florida 2 years ago, as I saw what DeSantis was willing to do to gain power. I was afraid then and I’m afraid now. Hugs to your entire family.
He’s like a Take-A-💩 wannabe, even though he’s in stiff competition against T-A-D for POTUS. I’m soooo glad that DISNEY did this because this cretin is RACIST AND HOMOPHOBIC (his constant campaigning against African-American AP Studies being taught in colleges/universities and his “Don’t Say Gay” “movement”. He’s another CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to this country as well! 👆☝🏽☝🏻
@alice – I agree and I’ve been saying this to everyone who will listen. Do not poo-poo DeSatan. I think he’s more dangerous than TFG. He’s way smarter.
I am terrified that DeSantis will get the nom and the presidency. I’m a school librarian and what he’s done to my field (and to schools in general) is terrifying.
@MaryContrary said: “Pretty sure Trump is getting the nomination…”
How so? Trump has just been indicted. If convicted, I don’t think he’s allowed to run for presidential office again.
So…. Is Disney going to provide security for H&M and their kiddos instead of the the british government now? Protect their investment? I bet plenty of their stars get armed security in the uk so it makes sense ….
Omg. Disney will now pay for lifetime security for Archie and Lilibet! Hahaha. Obv, that’s not real but hey it could be real.
Disney provides VIP guides for celebs and important people. You’ll see them in plaid vests around the park (also normal folks but they pay for it, usually around $500 an hour and up).
So does that mean Princess Lilibet is an actual Disney Princess now? 😉👸
It is so wild! I love the wording… If my (22 years!) partner and I ever do decide to tie the knot, that will definitely be in our vows. LOL
Ha!!!!
LOL, can that even stand in court, tying a law in one country to a dynasty of randos in another country?
It is funny tho.
It isn’t tied to it. It’s the way they are measuring the time.
Exactly. It could have been anyone but it’s a good choice for ease of information.
Of course it will stand up in court because the Reedy Creek board approved the agreement.
And it was all done properly, too. The meeting was advertised and open, the paperwork was filed properly, and everything is there out in the open….if you were paying attention.
(Un)fortunately, DeSantis and his goons *weren’t* paying any kind of attention, so they didn’t find out until weeks later. (I wonder who did the, “Uh actually you might want to read what the previous board passed…” email to the rest of the board. HA!)
I guess the Reedy Creek lawyers went to school in Florida! LOL
Oh, it can stand! It’s classic Rule Against Perpetuities language and it’s brilliant! Especially choosing a family with long life-expectancy.
Hahaha right! Using actual monarchs in a company built on Princes and Princesses is pretty epic. Disney has good lawyers and Desantis is an idiot lol
lightpurple, and I read that that was why Disney used it, so they wouldn’t get caught with an agreement that went on into perpetuity. This entire thing is genius. Way to go, Disney!
Legal twitter was DELIGHTED when this came out yesterday. It’s fun to hate on DeSantis together.
Really appreciate all the explanations on how this isn’t just legal, but excellent lawyering. One of my favorite things about CB is when the legal experts come on and educate us! Glad I came here first when I heard about this.
++@nisa. This is a wondrous thing that happened that I didn’t know could happen.
I’m torn between:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU0zqPGqeYA
and
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
It’s a measure of time in the terms of the agreement. Yes, it should stand up in court.
Yes this should stand in court as it’s a properly noticed, binding contract. Royal lives are often used this way to measure a time period because they are prominent, you know how many family members there are, and you will know when they die. This legal convention is how lawyers deal with the rule against perpetuities, which tbh i don’t even remember from law school well enough to explain.
It’s pretty brilliant. The rule against perpetuities is pretty standard in US and UK common law and there are lots of precedents for it holding in court. The funny thing about it is the rule is intended to prevent people from exerting control beyond the lifetime of the people in involved. Disney is hella problematic but this is hilarious and exactly what that clown DeSantis deserves.
It is hilarious!!! I laughed when I read through that clause! Disney lawyers are something else! Sure, let the city of Orlando maintain their roads! Takes that off the Disney budget plate.
The Princess Lillibet clause!
The brilliance in Disneys stipulations is that DeSatin is an attorney. Did he not read the agreement before they signed off on it??? I imagine his goons were too eager to read the agreement in its entirety and they have shot themselves in the foot, literally.
Brilliantly played Disney!!
People hate corporations so De santis standing up to them is going to win him votes.
Yes, it could stand up in court. A Royal lives clause is a common clause in contracts, in America and abroad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_lives_clause
The best part about this wiki entry is that it’s updated TODAY with the actual verbiage
A real example used by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is as follows:
if the perpetual term of this Declaration is deemed to violate the “Rule against Perpetuities,” or any similar law or rule, this Declaration shall continue in effect until twenty one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England living as of the date of this Declaration.[1]
The reedy creek district failed to read the fine print. It’s incompetence and an embarrassment for them and desantis. Love that for them. Long live, Princess Lilibet, indeed. An icon in the making.
Oh it can stand. It’s a reference point, it has nothing to do with the UK. Look, Rule Against Perpetuities is HELLISHLY complicated. It’s weeks of law school and even then most lawyers cannot explain it well. Good rule? Just assume Disney lawyers are smarter than you, me, Ronnie the would-be dictator …than everyone pretty much.
I have many many issues with Disney and their business but dear GOD this was good!! This is lawyer catnip! I knew they were too quiet when this happened.
You’re right! They did maintain radio silence after DeSantis went on TV to crow about what he did! Brilliant!!
It’s pretty typical contractual language actually.
Rule Against Perpetuities language is found in most Wills and trusts (and I guess contracts, although I don’t practice contract law) because every state has some kind of statute limiting how long an interest can stay vested. Florida’s RAP is 1,000 years so this contract, which is “in perpetuity” wouldn’t have to expire for a thousand years anyway. Naming descendants of a life in being is meant to extend the clock, but I feel like 1,000 years out who knows if Florida will even be above water.
The idea is that it is meant to reflect a definable/measurable period of time, without having to specify years – it is meant as a legally enforceable way of saying “forever” without actually saying so, so its defined in such a way that it is far enough in the future to far outlive any of the parties involved. The reason King Charles III and his descendants are used is that they are sufficiently famous and their relatives documented that it would easily ascertainable as to what the period specified ends. Not to mention, his youngest direct descendant is basically an infant at this point so this translates into a verrrrrrrry long time.
FWIW , they could’ve also said 21 years after the descendants of Kim Kardashian instead and it would have essentially the same legal force.
It’s been a long standing, if fairly little known, legal clause for centuries. It relates specifically to trust and land issues which this is. In the us, lives of political (Kennedy) or business (Rockefellers) dynasties are sometimes substituted. The point is that these families have publicly known descendants given their visibility and are likely to live king lives given their wealth. But it’s still legally valid to use the British monarch.
i’m not usually a big fan of big companies getting their way about not having to follow anyone’s rules but theirs, but given what an ass hat DeSantis is and his horrible homophobic policies in Florida this delights me. It embarrasses him and Trump is already using it against him and frankly, it makes DeSantis look like a giant loser. go capitalistic mouse?
I agree to anybody and everybody taking to desantis.
DeSatan’s performative gesture coming back to bite him. Color me not surprised. That’s the problem with republicants like him — all bark, no intelligence or bite.
Disney is the devil. But in this case, go Beelzebub, go!
I agree! I refuse to watch Disney movies because the company is just gobbling up smaller movie studios, but them sticking it to DeathSantis gives me joy.
One of the issues here is that yes, Disney had control over this area, but they also paid for its upkeep, I think they funded the fire department and things like that. I’m not sure the extent of what they paid for. So the deal was basically “let us do what we want and we’ll pick up the tab.”
And they got good deals on that tab because they were acting as a government agency and issued bonds. And that’s also why all the roads/signs/sewage/water/etc were fabulous around the parks – Disney was in control of it.
When Reedy Creek was first dissolved, the local county realized that they were about to be hit with over $1billion in debt, issued as bonds, which would have raised everyone’s taxes in Orange County (the home county of Orlando.) So the state called an “Ooops!” and just took it over. But The Mouse has better lawyers.
Do NOT f*ck with The Mouse.
@harpervalleypta – when he runs for president this will come back to haunt him. he’s costing the state millions and millions because he wanted to throw a tantrum like a toddler. and like a toddler, he was incapable of thinking through his actions. not a single person in the state cared about disney’s status – what they care about is not getting hit with the extra expenses DeSatan has just acquired for the state. he’s truly a toddler with diaper rash from all the crap that streams out of him
I think this is a very bad thing. Look, I hate the current government in Florida too, but you never know when the voters in Florida will come to their senses and elect competent people into office. But if they try to do anything progressive, Disney will still be in control and can block government action. Just because Disney embarrassed Florida’s idiot governor NOW, doesn’t mean this is a good thing for people in the long run. Do not trust Disney. This is a bad thing to allow a private company to overrule government action. I think most posters here are not seeing the long-term damage this is.
Mrs.Krabapple, the long term damage had already been done. Disney just made sure that the government would not be able to affect their political position on the LBGTQ+ communities. I also read that Disney has blocked the Board from using the Disney name and characters (like Mickey). I think the Company was trying to keep what it is in tact without interference. I’m not saying that this is a great way for this to be set up, but that ship sailed years ago.
Disney was basically in control before though. DeSantis is the one who forced the change.
disney and FL had a very mutually beneficial deal here. DeSantis forced the change and screwed things up for florida.
So if there was going to be long term damage from this deal, we likely would have seen it at some point in the past few decades that this deal has been in place.
And to clarify, the board still retains control of the roads etc under this new agreement. (Disney had control before.) so they still have to pay for the upkeep of the roads around Disney which is going to cost $$$.
But the board does not have the control over Disney that DeSantis wanted.
If this statement is true, this is VERY disturbing:
“the agreement gave Disney development rights throughout the district and ‘not just on Disney’s property,’ requires the district to borrow and spend on projects that benefit the company, and gives Disney veto authority over any public project in the district.”
If I understand this correctly, the agreement will require the district (a government entity) to use public funds to pay for projects that benefit a private company. It gives that private company the right to develop any part of the district even if it doesn’t own the land. It gives the private company the power to block any public project (even ones that would benefit the public, for example off the top of my head, a women’s shelter). Don’t be blinded by the “don’t say gay” fight, THIS AGREEMENT is horrible. A private company will dictate to the government, and make the government pay for the company’s interests. And for many decades to come. In no world is this a good thing.
I am not defending DeSantos or his oppressive laws. I am saying Disney took advantage of the public relations disaster in Florida to swindle the public.
I don’t get why people are for this when no company should have this much power.
Of course it’s bad. But we live in a hellscape here and if it’s between the neoliberal empire prioritizing welcoming LGBTQIA people and the governor who wants to become the fascist dictator of god knows what…well….that’s where we are.
Disney turned mosquito-infested swamp and arid dry land alike into a proper city-within-a-city and paid for all of it with its own funds.
But first the mouse secured its interests by forming Reedy Creek.
The gov wanted to dissolve Reedy Creek and the mouse was like “ok, but we will retain all of our property development rights and let the state pay for it, cool”
This is such a good deal for the mouse, that there’s speculation that the governor was in on it from the beginning.
Ppl here may think that this is a bad deal for the government of Florida, and it certainly is. But when is the governor ever looked out for the best interest of the citizens of the state?
It’s only as to the descendants now living, so, Lilibet, etc., like if she live as long as Prince Phillip it will be almost 100 years
It does not say currently living, so not tied to Lilibet at all.
@Sarahlee Yes it does. All 7 known descendants alive on Feb. 8, 2023.
The arcane wording seems backwards at first read, which I think is why so many Twitter posters for getting it wrong.
It doesn’t say that though – it says that KC3 is now living.
The clause does not have to say currently living because the rule against perpetuities only permits interest to be tied to those who are living at the time the rule is invoked, which in this case was when the agreement was passed on Feb 8, 2023. It is not specifically tied to Lili, but to all descendants of Charles III and whoever happens to live the longest will determine when Reedy Creek loses its interest to the state of Florida.
Yeah, it’s really just that Lili is currently the youngest descendant that we keep hearing about her. So there’s an assumption that she would live the longest but of course no one really knows those things.
KCIII’s prospective great grandchildren are also his descendants. So every time a new heir or spare comes down the line, the clock resets. It’s why Disney was clever to link end of the contract to a public institution whose purpose is to perpetuate the line.
Ahhh, I see. So as long as the line never ends, his descendants continue. We’re talking hundreds of years then.
It is not all of his descendants who don’t yet exist. It is 21 years after the death of all his living descendants now because the interest was created on February 8, 2023.
Black’s Law dictionary covers this.
Ok, thank you! For a minute, I’m thinking this means all the descendants of any of the grandkids.
Oh potentially even longer than 100 years. Remember it’s 21 years after the death of. So however long the “last” descendent lives, add another 21 years to that!
LOLz I wonder that the palace will say to this and also DON’T F@*K WITH THE MOUSE!!!!!!!
I wonder if in previous version of that doc they used QE2 and her descendants. Maybe some US lawyers can help out but am perplexed as to why a foreign Monarch and Head of State is mentioned in US legal documents.
It’s just a method for measuring the time. Apparently it’s not that uncommon a thing, either.
Ah – thanks for clarifying. Makes sense I guess.
The palace isn’t actually involved; it’s not like Louis inherits EPCOT. It’s just a legal time measuring stick.
It is not uncommon when drafting such documents to use a famous large family as the measuring tool to avoid violating the Rule Against Perpetuities because the deaths will be public knowledge and the numbers of people involved push the timeline out. The Kennedy family is often used for that reason.
No, the Queen wasn’t mentioned in early documents. This was done to thwart DeSantis’s takeover bid.
Don’t mess with Disney Legal.
All Disney is, is legal and existing IP acquisitions departments.
Out of interest would it still stand if the UK got rid of the Monarchy say after Chuck? If its tied to the family themselves then I imagine it does.
It has nothing to do with the actual monarchy. It was simply used as an example to measure time.
I would love to see Louis running Epcot, LOL.
Just imagine the photos if Meghan and Harry ever take Archie and Lilibet to Disney in Orlando😂.
Yep, when I learned the Rule Against Perpetuities, the common language was tied to the Kennedy family. I was always taught it was because 1.) they were a public family that was therefore easy to keep track of and 2.) there were so many of them that including them and their descendants in a clause was synonymous with “forever.” My only issue with swapping KFC for Joe and Rose Kennedy is that he currently only has the two sons and five grandchildren. That’s a much smaller group than the Kennedy clan. On the other hand, I’m not sure which current prominent family would be a better fit.
I don’t think the DeSantis replacing the board with his cronies piece happened until after QE2 passed. Why is because it’s a hilarious F-you to a guy treating the state of Florida like his personal kingdom and you are tying the expiration date of the deal to a family whose sole purpose is to perpetuate the line.
Yes! I was coming here to say this. It has less to do with the longevity of individual royals and more to do with the fact that monarchy’s business model is the production of heirs and spares. It’s an understatement to say that Disney is taking the long view.
“Heirs and spares”, exactly. And with their money and resources monarchies tend to have long lives (and the British monarchy in particular seems genetically prone to long lives).
Also, the bloodline is well and carefully tracked. If you tie it to Joe and Jane Smith and their descendants, what happens when one of their grandsons cuts all ties and moves to Tahiti? Then you suddenly have major uncertainty unless you can find him. All reasons why monarchs tend to be used for this.
So in that sense George might be more significant bc he technically has to continue the line with another heir and spare. Unless he abdicates. Archie and Lili could choose to never have children. George should have the same choice of course but that’s not how the whole monarchy thing works. It’s kind of effed bc does Disney now have an investment in seeing the British monarchy continue? Cuz I’m still saying abolish the monarchy.
It doesn’t seem to be tied to the monarchy retaining their current power, status, just that people in the family line of the current monarch continue, right? So UK could become a Republic tomorrow and the agreement would still stand.
@JAIS, it’s nothing to do with whether the monarchy continues. It could end tomorrow and King Charles would still have descendants, whether in the royal line or not. As a few other posts have mentioned, there are reasons to use the monarchy but technically you could make the same clause with any Joe or Jane off the street. It would just be way more (and possibly too) uncertain.
Thank u! For a minute I was thinking it was 21 years after the the very last future descendant of any of the living descendants. That could go on forever. This is prob obv to all the CB layers or law-minded CB’s but I’m finding it fascinating.
Reedy Creek was beneficial to both Disney and Florida. It took on a cost for maintenance on roads that are other otherwise public on Disney property and provided for their own fire department and EMS. And all Disney got a return was the ability to approve projects without going through the usual zoning requirements. Which ultimately all Disney did was improve central Florida. And because local governments didn’t have to take on the tax burden, particularly Osceola County which is one of the two counties that Disney resides in, it was a huge benefit. So it’s not really the nefarious thing that people were trying to make it out to be.
You have to figure when Disney is being quiet when something like this is happening, they have something interesting up their sleeve. They’ve got more money and better lawyers.
As an aside, Disney has always been one of the most progressive companies as far as LGBTQ issues are concerned. They were one of the first companies in America to give partner benefits, for example. And a lot of executives not to mention rank-and-file cast members you meet in the parks are part of the community or are allies.
I have read that the property tax in the adjacent counties to the Disney property would been exponentially increased as a result of the state taking over.
Where did you get this information? Everything I’ve read was that reedy creek was an attempt by DeSantis to get his corrupt hands in more control over the Disney machine. To benefit his own pockets and his crony friends. Not help the state that he already doesn’t help.
she’s saying Reedy Creek and the agreement with Disney as it WAS was beneficial to Disney and Florida, and was not the nefarious thing some people try to make it out to be (no, this does not excuse Disney from following most of the laws in Florida, etc.)
DeSantis’ moves here were shady and were to get his corrupt hands on Disney etc. His actions hurt Florida here because it means taxpayers have to pay more.
And I said that to my H this morning – you have to figure when Disney goes quiet like that they’re up to something. I LOVE IT.
The fact that dismantling Reedy Creek would cost Florida taxpayers MORE because Disney would pick up less of the tab has been widely reported, @JM
The Reedy Creek district was formed in the 1960s and has helped make Disney World possible. In exchange for autonomy in developing the land, Disney would pick up the tab for the operation and maintenance. So over the decades the parks have grown, providing thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue for the two counties the district encompasses. DeSantis got his lapdog legislature to dissolve the district after Disney meekly criticized his “don’t say gay” legislation. He did it without first considering the implications of the counties being on the hook for the billions of maintenance and infrastructure work with the stroke of a pen. DeSantis punted and came up with this board with expanded supervisory powers which includes content decisions (think no ‘Buzz Lightyear’ ride because the movie has characters in an LGBTQ relationship). So on their way out the door, the outgoing board publicly proposed and passed a contract with Disney that essentially maintains the current arrangement (which was working to everyone’s benefit) essentially forever plus 21 years.
LOL, way too funny. Desantis met his match, LOL
DeSantis is outmatched by a ham sandwich.
This was…..delicious. The lawyer snuck that in at the eleventh hour and I love it. DeSantis wouldn’t have gone after Disney in this way if they hadn’t make their mostly milquetoast stance against DeSantis’ bigotry; I hope the man chokes on the dissatisfaction.
“This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintaining the roads and maintaining basic infrastructure.”
Yes, exactly. Because that’s basically what they are supposed to do, right? What did they -expect- to be doing?
DeSantis tried to give them the authority over content of anything Disney produces in Florida, including characters, books, films, rides.
Get ready for the new replica of Michelangelo’s David coming to the Italy Pavilion in World Showcase at EPCOT!
Oh that would be too perfect! David in EPCOT!
And that’s part of why it’s hilarious. Because Ron ran his mouth about being able to boss Disney around and control what kind of art they could create, but it’s like, no, you guys get the roads. That’s all you’re supposed to do.
Wow! Never thought the Rule Against Perpetuities would rear its ugly head in my sphere almost 16 years after completing the bar exam but here we are.
And in such an entertaining way! I never thought I would laugh at the Rule against perpetuities. Now let’s get a “fertile octogenarian” involved somehow!
So funny! Someone better use this as a law school fact pattern
In this case, our fertile octogenarian might be Cams!
I think Queen Rottweiler is no longer fertile but Charles is known for infidelity so anything is possible (ew!)
Who really thought that Disney was not going to lawyer up?
C’mon.
DeSantis, I do not like him at all. Is this man going to get the Rep nomination?
Wow. No.
When I saw this yesterday, hand to God, I did a happy dance lol. Brilliant. Looking forward to what happens next. It’s gonna be fun.
It was beautiful to witness.
DeSantis was probably throwing pudding all over the place.
Twitter was full of gleeful cackling over it too, yesterday.
This case is particularly *interesting*, given Death Satantis studied law in Yale and Harvard.
Shows how he’s an intellectual heavyweight, in addition to being a racist homophobe.
His time at Guantanamo Bay should be examined more too. He is as sociopathic as orange buffoon.
Yes. The stories from detainees about his behavior are harrowing. He’s a monster.
The Rules of War AMENDED
1. Thou shall not March on Moscow.
2. Thou shall not March on Kabul.
3. Thou shall not March on the House of Mouse.
HAKUNA MATATA!
“Never get involved in a land war in Asia” can now be replaced with, “Never get in to a legal battle with Disney.”
LOVE IT!
Never go to war with The Mouse!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
‘Winter is coming’ should be changed to’ The Mouse is coming’.
DeSatan should ‘let it go’ before he ends up ‘under the sea’ as he’s no ‘Prince Charming’.
I wonder what the mirror said when he asked ‘Mirror Mirror on the wall who is the bestest legal brain of all!’. Hehehehe
The Mouse is coming…love it!
As Ron Desantis leans into the Right he exposes what a fool he really is. This is not a smart and savvy man. He is power hungry and hateful and he played himself. I hope that he continues to expose himself and loses.
I know he is billed as the smarter Trump, so while he does have intellectual capabilities to understand law and governance better than 45, he suffers from the same level of hubris that will only cause him to kneecap himself. Even with Trump’s looming indictments, I feel like DeSantis has a lot more riding on him to make it to the White House. He was handpicked by Murdoch to be the heir apparent when the heir isn’t even dead yet, lol, and the billionaire class is keeping a close eye on him. In Florida, his team insulates him in a bubble that won’t be there to protect him on a national stage. The greater the spotlight and scrutiny, the more he will fumble, giving fodder to the man he was meant to replace — Trump won’t go quietly into the night.
I was laughing my head off when I read this. I thought DeSantis studied Law, so he should have seen something like this coming.
I have never wanted to buy Disney merch – until now
Brilliant move! Disney said forget about “too big to fail”, we’re too big to bully and screw over! In trying to screw over Disney, DeS has screwed over the Florida taxpayers.
The Repubs have stopped using the “smaller govt” excuse to pass their draconian laws. Will they use the “but capitalism” excuse to justify getting their azzes kicked by Disney? Hope this political fiasco tanks DeS’ presidential ambitions. Disney just sent a strong and powerful message. Politicians with dictator like tendencies who depend on billion dollar companies to fund their campaigns should be very worried. Companies with deep pockets will fight back, and fight dirty.
This is hilarious. I think Disney did this because Chuck has two half American grandchildren living in the US. Has anyone contacted KP or the Sussexes’ spokesperson on this? Do the kids get lifetime passes to Disneyworld?
No one will get passes to Disney lol None of the royal family actually have anything to do with it except being named as a measure of time. The whole thing is hilarious, though, given this family’s longevity!
I’m no lawyer and I know that Disney has the money to hire the best of the best, so I assume the answer is Disney won, but I’ll ask anyway. Does DeSantis and his minions have any chance of overturning this or doing something that makes it so they retain power? I know from above responses that the perpetuity clause will stand, but for the people answering that it will stand, does that also mean everything Disney did will basically neuter the FL government?
It sounds like the contract was executed in full accordance with Florida law, and you can bet that Disney has the best legal team available, so I’ll be shocked if any element of it can be invalidated.
To your question about whether what Disney did will “neuter the Florida government,” the answer is that what the contract does is keep things they way they were before, with Disney maintaining control of what was called the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Basically Disney prevented DeSantis from getting more control over what Disney does.
About as much chance as Thanos has of picking up Thor’s hammer.
DeSantis not only abolished Disney’s control over the infrastructure of that district, which was part of two counties, but gave his “Board” authority to make decisions on content developed or made in Florida, that includes the attractions in the park, the lyrics of the songs characters perform in their shows, and anything else such as books, podcasts, recordings, film Disney was developing there. The goal – no “woke” content, using his definition of the term. This agreement literally strips all that away from his board, leaving them with authority over nothing but the infrastructure outside the Disney owned properties. They are literally limited to the roads, sewers, and other basic town services. Disney had a reputation of maintaining those services at a higher level than the rest of Florida with no cost to taxpayers. Now the cost is fully on taxpayers and DeSantis will hear about it from angry residents when those roads and sewers need repair.
He screwed Florida and Floridians royally.
The Mouse may be cute, but their lawyers are ruthless. I lol’d all day when I read that clause. It’s hilarious. I mean…it’s brilliant. The way Disney allowed DeSantis to have his day, all loud and obnoxious, while they were working with the Reedy board to incapacitate the incoming toadies will be the stuff of legends. I stan a group of lawyers that a petty and vindictive.
The more I read about this the more it looks like the outgoing Reedy board actively worked with Disney to kneecap DeSatan (I love that name for him) and his minions. They all knew what they were doing when they quietly signed that contract.
This is what happens when a low level idiot demon pleb takes on a great demon lord – your ass is toast.
This is what happens when a low level idiot demon pleb takes on a great demon lord – your ass is toast.
Yes, DeSatan (love it too) is an idiot. So many of these GOP Harvard/Yale Law grads are showing themselves to be evil, but also dumb about the law they are supposed to know.
We need a gif of Chernabog from Fantasia!
Kingblocked.
I wonder what happens if the monarchy gets abolished and KCIII is no longer a King..?
Nothing; the point is that they picked a prominent family strictly to establish a passage of time – irrespective of his long term titles, he’ll still have descendants.
Nothing, the monarchy has nothing to do with it. He’s just a known public figure and his death, whether he’s king or not at the time, will be an event covered in international news. His heirs will be known at that time so they’ll know whose lives they are tracking to count out the clock.
Whether he’s still king or not (and he won’t live forever whether there’s a monarchy or not), he still has descendants. His five grandchildren may have children, who may have children, etc and they will all still be his descendants.
As an Orange County resident I ship this SO HARD
game effing point Disney
To paraphrase Emerson: when you strike at The Mouse, you must kill him. Desantis has no foresight and terrible strategic judgement.
I had no idea Ron DeSantis was so bulbous, tbh. It’s almost uncanny valley. Dye his face purple in that pic, and he looks like Violet Beauregarde post turning into a blueberry.
Sooooooooooo …. 21 years AFTER the last descendant of seven people.
Given Bulliam’s proclivities there could be unborn descendants to be determined later. And then we’ll have George and Louis carrying on the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha predilections.
@Katya No.
21 years after the death of descendants alive on Feb. 8, 2023.
The mouse did not use the typical “lawful issue” which used to be used so illegitimate children couldn’t lay a claim to an estate.
To your point: if it comes to light that there are other “descendants” that were alive on February 8, 2023 their lives would also be counted in addition to the 7 that we know about.
Say that Lili is the only grandchild to have children. If she lives to 100, and has a child at 40 who also lives to 100, then add the 21 years, that’s still almost 200 years. But I’m certain between the Wales and the Sussex children there will be at LEAST five or six kids between them, and at least one of those kids will have children….
I remember when this whole deal hit the news last year, legal experts in the know pretty much said this wasn’t going to end well for Ronny. It just took a while for the smack down to come. I don’t believe he was thinking that far ahead. It was a half hearted attempt at authoritarianism to court the MAGA crowd. None of his bs is ever fully thought out. He has every school system in FL auditing books for banning with no real guidelines. That’s because it’s just something he threw out there to scare teachers and make them afraid of losing their livelihoods if they don’t do as he says, while looking tough and king of anti-woke to the right wingers he’s trying to cozy up to. He did the same thing last year when he had former felons arrested for being (legally) registered to vote. The cops doing the arresting had no clue why they were wasting time on that. It was a mess. And of course, all the charges were quietly dropped and the arrested were let go. That’s because it was never about the law. It was about scaring those felons from voting who had been lucky enough to have their rights restored. All of this bs is happening now solely because of his expected WH run.
And isn’t the new board made up of contributors to his political committee? Disgusting and shady.
And Disney de-fanged that new board.
And the wife of the head of the Florida GOP.
Citizens United upheld that, as Romney famously said, “corporations are people too, my friend”. And people, in this case Disney, have a first amendment right to political speech. Actual freedom of speech, as in protected from the government, not the type conservatives are always crying about, ie telling anti gay jokes and whatnot. Funny how self described ‘free speech absolutist’ Elon musk doesn’t have a problem with ACTUAL violations. Nope, he LOVES DeSantis. (But we known the only amendment the right holds sacrosanct is the 2nd)
DeSantis punished a private company for speaking out against a piece of legislation. That type of thing *used* to chill Republicans.
I’m laughing my ass off at the ‘royal lives clause’. (Someone went digging for *that* little gem!) If the board’s decision is upheld in court (and who knows with some judges but it should be, it’s long been in legal use) then DeSantis is so effed over.
Lol! I honestly don’t understand how this law works but I’m glad it makes De Santis look like the idiot he is. I’ve never been to Disney World and it sounds completely overwhelming and peak capitalism and think Disney can be shady AF too though. It’s another mega corporation run by goons too. I’d probably go to the California Disneyland any ways if I ever took my kids because I just can’t with Florida anymore. The beaches are nice but hard pass.
Meant to say this yesterday. I read a description of Deathsaantos as follows, he gives off the vibes of someone who would unplug your life support to charge his cellphone