Disney will delay its move to a new campus in Lake Nona until 2026 amid the company's battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Jun 15, 2022 in "The Walt Disney Company"

Posted: Wednesday June 15, 2022 6:44pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Walt Disney Company has today confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that it has delayed plans to move 2000 of its employees to a new campus in Lake Nona, Florida.

Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro originally announced the new regional campus in July 2021 that was planned to serve as a Central Florida regional hub for the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment. It is now delayed until 2026.

Walt Disney Imagineering will be located far closer to the Walt Disney World parks than ever before

Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler told the Orlando Sentinel today that the expected opening date for the Lake Nona campus was pushed to 2026 to "give people more time" and accommodate the construction timeline for the new offices.

These latest developments follow escalating tensions between DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Chapek regarding Disney's opposition to Florida's HB 1557, also known as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, and the Florida Governor signing a bill to disband Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Located in Lake Nona, the new campus was planned to complement Disney's operations in Southern California and its regional hub in the New York City area and be home to more than 2000 Cast, Imagineers and employees. The relocation to Florida was originally planned to be operational by the end of 2022, and has been in the planning stages since 2019.

Josh D'Amaro at Walt Disney World in 2019

In a July 2021 memo to staff, D'Amaro said, "While we are still determining exactly which of our team members will be based there, we expect that most Southern California-based DPEP professional roles that are not fully dedicated to the Disneyland Resort or, in some cases, the international parks business, will be asked to relocate to this new Florida campus."

Central Florida is already home to 60,000 Disney employees

He continued, "Expanding our already significant DPEP footprint in Florida makes sense. In addition to Florida's business-friendly climate, this new regional campus gives us the opportunity to consolidate our teams and be more collaborative and impactful both from a creative and operational standpoint."

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Bullseye19678 days ago

In theory you want 12% to 15%. to be a good market so it is not far off. Commercial properties are not one size fits all. Do I want an office with a reception, 2 offices and 1 suite, or do I want a reception, 4 offices, and 2 suites. Not every customer is looking for the same thing.

Disstevefan19 days ago

Oh yes, I got mixed up, yes, it was the Lake Nona folks who did not want them there, but I have no receipts to prove that.

mkt9 days ago

Clermont and Minneola are somewhat transient still. I don’t know the specific numbers, plenty of people are leaving there as well. The complaints I’ve heard are about the infrastructure not being designed to support a population boom, mediocre public schools compared to neighboring counties, and just being far from everything.

mkt9 days ago

What does Dr. Phillips have to do with that? Disney was going to open in lake Nona, the other side of town.

Disstevefan19 days ago

I know some Imagineers had already planned to move from California to FL, but how many really would have done it? I heard most did not want to anyway, and I head folks in Dr. Philips did not want them there anyway?

Lilofan9 days ago

To get FL insurance on a home is a slippery slope. Some insurers won't even insure homes built before 1999 and or one needs to pass the dreaded 4 point insurance inspection prior to getting insurance. Good luck in passing which includes $$ thousands in repairs to pass the 4 point.

Goofyernmost9 days ago

I have to think that Disney took advantage of the opportunity to cut bait on that whole project when The governor decided to make a name for himself and go after Disney. The only thing that was hurt in that whole fiasco was the state of Florida via the Governor who was also negatively affected. They were already getting push back from those that would have been required to leave Cali and move to Florida to keep their jobs. Classic example of both Government and Big Business not thinking things beyond the moment.

Disstevefan19 days ago

If Orlando's 17% commercial vacancy rate highlights the continued struggles, What is a "Good" commercial vacancy rate? If too low or zero then it would be called "The lack of commercial space highlights the struggles.."

Stripes9 days ago

Imagineering now has nearly as many people in Florida as Universal Creative does. Bear in mind, Universal Creative's global headquarters are in Orlando whereas WDI is still in Glendale.

JoeCamel9 days ago

Maybe the high bar (price+insurance+interest rate) is why 8 months so not many can enter the market? I know they are packing them into Clearmont (are they? IDK) but not really a rosy outlook

mkt9 days ago

Tight residential market? Orlando has 8 months of inventory available.

JoeCamel10 days ago

How is the market in Glendale?

Bobby Gabriel10 days ago

Orlando's 17% commercial vacancy rate highlights the continued struggles in the commercial real estate sector, which contrasts sharply with the tight residential market. This pattern isn't unique to Orlando. The commercial sector's recovery will likely require significant adaptation, possibly including conversion of some commercial spaces to residential or mixed-use developments to better align with current demand patterns.