It’s important to call balls and strikes when it comes to the situation with Disney and Florida. In the case of recent monorail news, it may finally be the state that is in the wrong.
Here on That Park Place, we’ve tried very hard to report the news regarding Florida and The Walt Disney Company in the most factual way possible. I’ve done the same on my channel. As a result, we’ve been essentially correct on how all of this would play out as time went on, whereas many other sites were jaded by partisan politics that shouldn’t be a factor in Disney Parks coverage. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Disney can’t win in Florida when it comes to the special district situation. The company had a one-of-a-kind sweetheart deal that had been highly manipulated by the company but never called out. When Disney entered into political battles in the state, their political opposition looked into the sweetheart deal that gave them a Vatican City in Central Florida and said “no more.” Fair is fair and all of that went according to the law. Because the special district wasn’t / isn’t Disney, the state wasn’t retaliating against Disney… unless, like Iger, you want to claim the special district and Disney were one and the same — which creates all sorts of nightmare legal issues for Disney.
But I’m not here to say everything about Florida politicians is rosy either. I don’t care what side of the aisle their on. And when it comes to the latest legislation regarding monorail inspections, I think the state is going too far.
It’s not that the monorails shouldn’t be inspected by the state — they should. It’s that 1) the legislation is a bit too cute in some areas and 2) more importantly it may target guests of Walt Disney World with unnecessary inconvenience.
The bill includes the requirement that the monorail must be suspended during safety inspections by the Florida Department of Transportation, and will take effect from July 1 2023.
The monorail system is a critical part of Walt Disney World’s daily operations, and although Disney has backup transportation in place, including buses and watercraft, an extended “safety inspection” could cause significant inconveniences to guests.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think this legislation would probably hold up in court. However, I’m not sure it fits the spirit of what has been happening to Disney. The company has been dealing with a colossal miscalculation in that becoming political has made them subject now to the same rules and regulations their competitors have always dealt with. Inspecting monorails and attractions, transportation and more is all fine with me and fine with fair play within the law. However, if the legislation in question is used to sideline monorails and other transportation options in such manner that it unduly represents a hardship on Disney World guests that would therefore hurt the company beyond simply living under the same rules as others… then this goes too far.
In order to know for sure if this is the case, we’ll have to see how the state implements inspections. If single monorails are taken off-line for a day every six months or every years, so be it. We’ve seen monorails involved in serious, even fatal, accidents in the past: inspections are welcomed. But if the entire monorail were taken offline every six months for a week or more… and if that’s not for critical design flaws and/or structural impairment… then government is actually damaging a business.
Calling balls and strikes works like this. We always have to check both sides of the aisle when it comes to their actions. And when we base our positions on principles, consistency is a result.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts!
“monorail must be suspended during safety inspections”
Like what’s the problem? It doesn’t make sense that the monorails are still running. The inspection could take a long as necessary. On the other hand, what difference does it make when the monorail constantly breaks down. Guests are still inconvenienced. Perhaps in the future, the inspections will be the only reason for the ride’s temporary closure. Cars can be taken offline and inspected while the rest are still running. The stations can be closed down when the electrical system is inspected, but we don’t usually think of this.
One question I would have is what is being inspected? If it’s the trains, as TimW mentioned they could be taken off track. The physical line – track, concrete, etc, may be another matter. Though it doesn’t run 24/7 and maybe the inspection could be done when they are shut down. The original line would probably be of more concern than the line to Epcot as I think it gets heavier use.
Disney masses: “Disney needs to fix the monorail! The rides are unsafe and break down! ”
Florida: “We will check it out “
Disney masses: “How dare Florida attack Disney!”
Everything at Universal gets regular inspections, why shouldn’t that at WDW? What is everyone afraid of?