Disney has pushed back schedules to move thousands of jobs from California to Florida while it fights over Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The company’s schedule for relocating about 2,000 employees to its parks, experiences and products division — including a number of Imagineering employees responsible for the design and construction of the company’s theme parks and rides — has been pushed back to 2026, it confirmed the company told on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Times previously reported that the move is expected to be complete in late 2022 or early 2023.
In a statement, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said that “a growing number of employees” whose roles will ultimately be based at a campus in the Lake Nona region of Orlando have already relocated, “but we also want to continue to provide flexibility for those.” who are relocating, especially given that the campus is now expected to be completed in 2026.”
WDW News Today was the first to report the news.
The news comes just months after the Florida Republican legislature passed legislation ending the company’s June 2023 purpose district, effectively allowing Disney to self-govern on land occupied by Walt Disney World Resort. In late April, that special district, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, argued that Florida could not disband the district until the bond debt was repaid and that it “expects to evaluate its options while continuing its current operations.”
Disney hasn’t filed a lawsuit, but in early May, taxpayers living near Walt Disney World sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the move. A judge dismissed the taxpayer’s lawsuit in mid-May, but a similar case was heard again in state court in May.
The Florida legislature’s action to end the district for Disney came shortly after the company took a stand against a Florida law banning discussions of sexual orientation and gender in the classroom from kindergarten through third grade, and was largely viewed as retaliation viewed. Disney’s delay in issuing that statement caused its own internal troubles, leading to employee organizing and a strike in late March. One of the strike organizers’ demands for Disney leadership to “regain the confidence of the LGBTQIA+ community and employees” was to “end all efforts to relocate employees to Florida office locations to ensure employee safety and the maintenance of the community.” ensure employment”.
In the summer of 2021, news of Disney jobs moving to the parks, experiences and products division first surfaced. The Orlando Sentinel has reported that Disney could receive $570 million in state tax breaks by building its new campus in the Lake Nona area.