Disney Junks For $1-B HQ, 2,000 Jobs In Florida

Walt Disney Co. has junked plans to build a $1-billion corporate campus in Florida that would have housed 2,000 employees, an e-mail to employees said as the company is locked in a legal battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Disney employs more than 75,000 people in Florida, attracts millions of visitors each year to Walt Disney World, and had plans to invest $17 billion to expand the resort over the next decade.

Disney parks chief Josh D'Amaro said "changing business conditions" prompted Disney to reconsider its 2021 plan to relocate employees, including its Imagineers who design theme park rides, to a new campus in Lake Nona.

The company was expected to spend as much as $864 million on the project, according to the Orlando Sentinel, on a campus that would have served as a base for Walt Disney Imagineering and the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division.

Disney's decision to move the California-based Imagineering staffers across the country drew complaints from employees, many of whom did not want to move to Florida.

"Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus," D'Amaro wrote.

"This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one."

A week ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger publicly questioned Florida's interest in the company's continued investment in the state. He noted that Disney employed more than 75,000 people in Florida, attracts millions of visitors each year to Walt Disney World, and had plans to invest $17 billion to expand the resort over the next decade.

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