WARNING: The following article contains content and/or language that may not be suitable for younger readers. Viewer discretion is advised. Music legend and American treasure Dolly Parton had quite the Thanksgiving weekend. She kicked off Thanksgiving by playing the halftime show of the Dallas/Washington game in front of an estimated 41.44 million viewers. Parton played her hits Jolene and 9 to ...
Read More »Author Archives: Rick Lye
Shut Out of Florida Politics, Disney Turns to California, But Anaheim Wants Them Out
Shortly after former Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, The Walt Disney Company decided to cut all campaign contributions to Florida politicians. Both of those decisions made Florida Governor Ron DeSantis respond to Disney by stripping it of the Reedy Creek Improvement District ...
Read More »DeSantis Has ‘Done Considerable Damage’ And Central Florida is Finally Fighting Back
The dispute between The Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has had several twists and turns, some of them have bordered on absurd, but what it has really revealed are some of the more significant issues in Central Florida. While the Florida governor stripped Disney World of its self-governing District, many stood idly by and watched, either out ...
Read More »Singer Tries To Get Dolly Parton Canceled, The Internet Wasn’t Having It
Since Betty White died in 2021, we have very few National Treasures left. You know, those people who are universally beloved and even the worst internet troll can find something at least decent to say about them. There is, of course, Tom Hanks. Americans see the Toy Story (1995) and two-time Academy Award winner as one of the few good ...
Read More »Complete And Total Reversal, Florida Bill Would End DeSantis Disney District
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been nine months since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stripped Walt Disney World of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. In those nine months, it’s fair to say that the new District and its Board of DeSantis appointees have run into trouble overseeing a District ...
Read More »New Report Shows DeSantis Had Bigger Plans to Punish Disney But Feared Hurting His Lucrative Donors
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had already stripped Disney World of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the self-governing District that had been in place since the theme park opened. He wanted other ways to punish the Walt Disney Company for speaking out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. But it ...
Read More »DeSantis’ Disney Board Sticking It to Reedy Creek Firefighters…Again
In August, seemingly out of nowhere, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District sent out a scathing press release, accusing Walt Disney World of a “scheme to funnel millions of taxpayers dollars” to Disney. The press release from the appointees of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came after the new Board received a bill for $2.5 million from Disney World. The bill ...
Read More »Despite Massive Worker Turnover, Gilzean Says ‘Morale is Up’ At DeSantis Disney District
Over the past two weeks, reports surfaced about worker dissatisfaction at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Since the Board appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took over the Reedy Creek Improvement District earlier this year, more than 40 employees have resigned, taking more than 400 years of experience with them. And these employees have not gone quietly into the ...
Read More »Disney Wants To Remind Florida That It’s More Valuable to the State Than Ron DeSantis
Apparently, the Walt Disney Company has had enough of this nonsense and felt it was time to remind Florida precisely what it brought to the table. After its fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, perhaps there were people in the state who may have forgotten Disney World’s value. But now, the entire state just got a not-so-subtle reminder. Related: The Enormous ...
Read More »Disney World Pricing Is Going To Start Keeping Some Families Away
Last week, Bloomberg published an article reporting that some families are paying more than $40,000 for a week at Walt Disney World in Central Florida. For those of us who regularly go to Disney World, the immediate question that popped into our mind was, how is that even possible? But the deeper you dive into the article, a realization quickly ...
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