Disney delays moving 2,000 jobs to Florida as feud with DeSantis continues

Walt Disney Co. has delayed moving over 2,000 jobs from Florida to California as it continues its feud with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the state’s Parental Rights in Education Law. 

A year ago, Disney announced plans to relocate some of its California employees to the company’s new campus in Orlando’s Lake Nona community by the end of 2022 or early 2023. However, the company announced that it would delay its plans by three years.

“I want to share news about an exciting project that has been in various stages of planning since 2019,” wrote Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Division, announcing the plan in 2021. “This new project will create a dynamic environment to support our expanding business

“In addition to Florida’s business-friendly climate, this new regional campus gives us the opportunity to consolidate our teams and be more collaborative and impactful both from a creative and operational standpoint,” he added.

News of the delay comes months after Florida announced that it was ending Disney’s special purpose district status after the company publicly voiced opposition to the governor’s controversial parental rights bill passed last march. The bill limits discussion of sexual topics and sexual orientation in the classroom by grade levels and inappropriate materials. 

Since 1967, the state law has allowed Disney to provide its own services on its Disney World resort. The company will retain its special status until 2023. 

Disney spokesperson Jacquee Wahler said the delay was unrelated to the DeSantis dispute. Instead, the company claims that the decision stems from wanting to provide “flexibility” to its workers. 

“While a growing number of our employees, who will ultimately work at the campus, have already made a move to Central Florida, we also want to continue to provide flexibility to those relocating, especially given the anticipated completion date of the campus is now in 2026,” she said.

“Therefore, where possible, we are aligning the relocation period with the campus completion,” Wahler added.