Disney Scraps Plans To Send 2,000 Jobs To Florida Amid DeSantis Feud

BURBANK, CA — The Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. landed another blow in its highly public clash with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday, officially scrapping plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Sunshine State.

That means Disney won't build a brand new campus in Florida, and the jobs will remain in the Golden State for now. For thousands of employees, the about-face dashes plans to move across the country. For others, it means they can stay in California and keep their jobs.

The decision follows a year of attacks from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature, with Disney filing a First Amendment lawsuit against him and other officials last month. Disney had planned to build the campus about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the giant Walt Disney World theme park resort, but Josh D’Amaro, chairman of the parks, experiences and products division, said in a memo to employees that given "new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the (Florida) campus."

"This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one. As a result, we will no longer be asking our employees to relocate," he wrote. "For those who have already moved, we will talk to you individually about your situation, including the possibility of moving you back."

Disney announced in 2021 that it planned to relocate the workers to a new office complex it planned to build near Orlando, home to the Walt Disney World Resort. At the time, the company cited Florida's "business-friendly climate" and its "rich culture of hospitality" and "lower cost of living with no state income tax."

In the time since, however, Disney has been in a seemingly endless political battle with DeSantis, sparked last year with his signing of legislation restricting instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. Disney came under fire from critics and some employees for failing to publicly condemn the legislation. That ultimately led to an apology issued by then-CEO Bob Chapek, and the company issued a statement in opposition to the Florida law.

Chapek was fired late last year and replaced by former CEO Bob Iger.

Countering Disney's public criticisms, DeSantis began publicly blasting the entertainment conglomerate and started an effort to crack down on Disney's operations by stripping away self-governing privileges that were granted to the company's theme park property more than 50 years ago.

Last month, Disney filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis, accusing him of orchestrating a "government retaliation" campaign against the company that threatened its business operations.

The governor's office didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment about Wednesday's announcement.

DeSantis is expected to announce a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination some time soon.

In his letter to employees Thursday, D'Amaro said the company remains committed "to our teams who call Central Florida home."

"It is clear to me that the power of this brand comes from our incredible people, and we are committed to handling this change with care and compassion," he wrote. "I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business. We have plans to invest $17 billion and create 13,000 jobs over the next 10 years. I hope we're able to do so."

Florida Sen. Joe Gruters, a former chairman of the state Republican Party, called Disney's decision a huge loss.

“I hope we can put this conflict behind us and get back to a more normal working relationship with a company that’s been one of our best business and tourism partners that we’ve had over the last 50 years,” Gruters said. "Two thousand jobs and a billion dollars worth of investments into our state, I would say that’s a serious blow. The market is much better than dealing with companies rather than heavy-handed government.”

City News Service, the Associated Press and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.