CALL LAST WEEK ASKING IF THE STATE WHEN IT DOES NEED TO INVEST MORE MONEY IN TAXES.
LISA TREASURE ROBERTS, THANK
YOU.
>> LISA: JOINING US NOW LIVE
IN STUDIO TO TALK MORE ABOUT
THIS BIG BREAKING NEWS TODAY
IS ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR JERRY
DEMINGS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US. WHAT EXACTLY DOES
THIS MEAN FOR ORANGE COUNTY?
>> FIRST, LET ME JUST SAY
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. AM
I ON THE STAND THAT IT REALLY
HAS BEEN? VERY DIFFICULT
INFORMATION, FAR COMMUNITY TO
LEARN THE DO’S AND HAS MADE
THE CORPORATE DECISION THAT
THEY MADE. TO NOT INVEST IN
THE LATE AREA, WAS THE GOOD
NEWS IN ALL OF THIS. IS THAT
BUSINESS STILL HERE? DISNEY IS
HEAVILY INVESTED IN THIS
COMMUNITY AND EVEN RECENTLY
BOB IGER MADE THE STATEMENT
THAT OVER THE NEXT DECADE,
THEY INTEND TO CONTINUE
INVESTING AS MUCH AS
17 BILLION DOLLARS IN OUR
COMMUNITY. SO I FEEL LIKE A
LONG-TERM DOES NOT HAVE BEEN A
GOOD CORP AND COMMUNITY
PARTNER FOR US IN THIS
COMMUNITY WILL MERIT TO THEM
YOU ONE IN ABOUT MAY THINK AND
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THEY’VE
MADE THE DECISION TO TO NOT
INVEST IN LAKE NONA. AND I
BELIEVE THAT THAT DECISION IS
MADE. IT IS BASED UPON A
CHANGE IN THE BUSINESS CLIMATE
HERE, THE PERCEIVED CLIMATE
WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. I
BELIEVE THAT IS RELATED TO THE
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND THEY HAVE
A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP NOW
WITHIN DISNEY. AND SO ALL OF
THAT, A LONG TERM, I THINK,
CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR DECISION
TO TO NOT MAKE THE INVESTMENT.
THEY HAVE A CHANGE IN
LEADERSHIP. BUT IT IS ALSO THE
OLD LEADERSHIP WHO IS BACK
POWER. RIGHT? AND THEY DIDN’T
MENTION TODAY.
>> THAT IT HAD ANYTHING
DIRECTLY TO DO WITH THE TIP
FOR TAT WITH RON DESANTIS R
GOVERNOR AND DISNEY ITSELF. DO
YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT PLAYED A
ROLE IN TODAY’S DECISION? DID
YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT PLAYED A
ROLE IN TODAY’S DECISION? DID its non-habit forming and THE THAT’S THE ONLY AND THE
THEY CAN RESPOND TO WHETHER OR
NOT IT REALLY MADE A
DIFFERENCE OR NOT. BUT I DO
BELIEVE THAT OTHER BUSINESSES
ARE WATCHING VERY CAREFULLY.
NO BUSINESS. A CORPORATION OUT
IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA WANTS
TO FIND THEMSELVES AND THE A
POSITION THAT BUSINESS IN
TODAY WHERE THEY FEEL THAT
THEY ARE LIKELY BEING BULLET
BY GOVERNMENT AND THE
REGULATORY AUTHORITY. THE
GOVERNMENT HAS BUSINESSES WANT
TO BE FREE TO MAKE DECISIONS
THAT HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON
THE BOTTOM LINE. AND I BELIEVE
THAT IF I WOULD DO IS FEEL THE
SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT A
RELATIVE TO THEIR BUSINESS
MODEL IS CONTRARY TO THE
BOTTOM BUT DISNEY HAS BEEN
HERE FOR OVER 50 YEARS. I
BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL
CONTINUE TO BE HERE AND
BECAUSE OF THAT, THE THE
RELATIONSHIP THAT WE ENJOY
WITH DISNEY IN THIS COMMUNITY
IS ONE THAT IS STRONG THAT
WILL CONTINUE TO SURVIVE THE
POLITICS OF TODAY.
>> AND WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT
THIS DECISION BEING MADE
BECAUSE OF A CHANGING BUSINESS
CLIMATE ENVIRONMENT, IT WAS
ONLY BACK IN 2021 WHEN THEY
ANNOUNCED PLANS TO COME HERE
BECAUSE OF THE BUSINESS
FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT. IS THERE
SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON WITH
OUR ECONOMY? THAT WOULD HAVE
MADE THEM MAKE THIS DECISION
OR OR NO.
>> I CAN SPEAK FOR DOES IT.
BUT CLEARLY MOST OF THE
ECONOMISTS PREDICTING THAT
SOMETIME WITHIN THE NEXT 12
MONTHS WE’LL SEE A DOWNTURN IN
THE ECONOMY. BUT THE LAKE NONA
CAMPUS WAS ALL ABOUT THE
RELOCATION OF EMPLOYEES. I
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING
INSIDE DISNEY AND WHETHER OR
NOT THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE
GOING TO BE RELOCATED. SOME
ARE ALREADY HERE, BUT OTHERS
WILL COME. SO WITH THE
INVESTMENT THAT THEY WILL BE
MAKING OVER THE NEXT DECADE,
THERE WOULD BE THOUSANDS OF
EMPLOYEES THAT WILL BE TO THE
CURRENT WORKFORCE THAT THEY
HAVE AND STAY POSITIVE. DISNEY
CO WILL TO MAKE THE TAX
PAYMENTS THAT THEY CURRENTLY
MAKE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
SO IN TERMS OF THE BOTTOM LINE
FOR OUR COUNTY TAX RECEIPTS,
DON’T THINK THAT.
>> WE’LL SEE IN A SIGNIFICANT
CHECK, THE LARGEST TAXPAYER
RIGHT THERE. THE LAKE YOU SAY
YOU’RE MARRIED TO THE MOUSE,
RIGHT? BUT IF DISNEY’S MOVE,
IS IT THE FIRST MOVE ON THIS
IS A BILLION-DOLLAR MOVE.
THAT’S THE STARTING POINT. ARE
YOU FEARFUL OF WHAT COULD BE
NEXT? IT WILL BE REALLY
UNFORTUNATE. DIDN’T THE
CONTINUES TO NOT INVEST WITHIN
OUR COMMUNITY. THE TOO BIG TO
CONTINUES TO NOT INVEST WITHIN
OUR COMMUNITY. THE TOO BIG TO its non-habit forming and REALLY RELOCATE IN WHERE IS
THERE TOO BIG TO REPLICATE
WHAT THEY HAVE HERE WITHIN
THIS COMMUNITY? SO I BELIEVE
THAT A THEY’VE MADE A
COMMITMENT HERE FOR OVER 50
YEARS IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT
IS GOING TO WITHSTAND THE TEST
OF TIME. THE TEST OF THE
POLITICAL POLITICS OCCURRING
RIGHT NOW. SO I BELIEVE THAT
WILL BE OK AT THE WHEN THIS IS
ALL SAID AND DONE.