The Walt Disney Company has delayed their plan to move Walt Disney Imagineering, consumer products, and other departments to Lake Nona until mid-2026. The move was previously planned to be completed next year, 2023.
This announcement came at an all-hands-on-deck meeting today. Some employees were already searching for homes and are understandably upset about the delay because they had already sold their California homes.
Other Imagineers were upset by the relocation plan already, and some chose not to stay with the company. Many have urged Disney to reverse the decision to move, especially considering Florida Governor Ron Desantis’ recent attacks on the company and the passing of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The Walt Disney Company purchased roughly 60 acres for the new Lake Nona campus.
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Desantis: Turning away new job opportunities to own the libs.
Desantis is driving business away from Florida. Worst governor ever.
Another brilliant move by the current Disney management. First, everyone has to leave California. Then, the move is delayed by three years.
I wonder how many of the best imagineers from 2019 will be working for Disney in 2026.
If I were Chapek, and DeSantis and the state legislature had done with Reedy Creek, I’d have gone scorched earth.
1) END, not delay, the Imagineering move, and support (financially, if necessary) any affected CMs.
2) Suspend all further development of the Disney World campus–this would mean honoring all current construction contracts and committing to ongoing regularly-scheduled preventative maintenance as well as needed emergency/troubleshooting maintenance on the existing campus but not committing to any additional development.
3) Establish necessary staffing levels for all areas of the Disney World campus (which SHOULD be higher than what they are not) and commit to continued hiring up to that point but not one CM more.
If the state government is going to sabotage my local municipality, I wouldn’t want them getting one more dime of tax revenue out of me than is absolutely necessary (while ably maintaining what already exists).
Did it ever occur to anyone the delay is due to the economy sucking right now? Companies delay capital projects and lay off people when a recession hits. Puhleeze
Disney doesn’t care about anybody even its employees.