According to new job postings by The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) will complete their move to a new Lake Nona, FL campus by late 2024. Two new job postings for high-level jobs within WDI note that the “team will relocate to Orlando, Florida in late 2024.”
In total, more than 2,000 jobs within the Disney Parks division are expected to move from California to Florida. In October 2020, Disneyland President Ken Potrock dialed up the heat on California Governor Gavin Newsom after Newsom outlined a reopening plan for businesses within the state following closures of many businesses due to COVID-19. Potrock called the plan details “unworkable” and “irreparably devastating” to the Anaheim community.
A few months after that statement, rumors began to swirl of a move from what was a hostile environment in California to Florida. A July 2021 report from the Orlando Sentinel shed more light on the business-friendly environment Disney was looking to move to. The report said that Disney could be eligible for up to a $570 million tax break on the construction of the Lake Nona campus.
Since then, Disney has had quite a public spat with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly used the might of government to retaliate against Disney’s support of LGBTQIA+ communities. While Disney has reportedly faced calls from within to cancel a move to Florida for WDI (among other divisions), these recent job postings indicate that Disney does not intend to cancel the move.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!