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Friday, May 19th, 2023

Amid DeSantis fight, Disney drops $1 billion Orlando campus plans

Author:     Katie Rice and Skyler Swisher
Source:     Orlando Sentinel
Publication Date:     May 18, 2023 | 3:54 p.m.
 Link: Amid DeSantis fight, Disney drops $1 billion Orlando campus plans
Stephan:  

What did I tell you. We are going to see corporations that depend on customer support and seek to foster racial and gender fairness leave Red states. The only exception will be weapons manufacturers who will move from Blue states to Red states. This nastiness by DeSantis is going to cost Florida thousands of high paying jobs, not only those working for Disney as staff but also construction people, office furniture people, restaurants where Disney staffers might eat, and on and on. You may have seen this on television news. Here’s what the newspaper in Orlando where this is going on has to say.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Iger Credit: The Associated Press

Amid its political feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis, Disney is dropping plans to build a nearly $1 billion corporate campus at Lake Nona that would have brought 2,000 high-paying jobs to  Orlando.

In 2021, Disney paid $46.4 million for 58 acres near the Lake Nona Town Center that it planned to turn into a complex for its creative team, Imagineering, and other jobs. The average salary of the positions was cited as $120,000.

But in a memo to employees Thursday, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro attributed the project’s cancellation to “changing business conditions,” without mentioning The Walt Disney Co.’s escalating battle with the governor.

“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. This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one,” his message read.

D’Amaro said he has “hope” the company’s plans to invest $17 billion in […]

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