Disney has pushed back relocation of workers by 2026

Walt Disney Co. has announced to postpone the timeline to relocate thousands of jobs from California to Florida. Initially, the company planned to complete the relocation by the end of 2022. However, they have now pushed back the timeline to 2026 till the completion of the campus in Florida.

Plan to relocate 2,000 workers

In July, the company revealed their plans of relocating at least 2,000 jobs from their headquarters to Florida. These include a number of Imagineering workers responsible for designing and engineering of theme parks and rides. However, the jobs relating to project of Disneyland Report will remain in California. “While a growing number of our employees, who will ultimately work at the campus, have already made the move to Central Florida, we also want to continue to provide flexibility to those relocating, especially given the anticipated completion date of the campus is now in 2026. Therefore, where possible, we are aligning the relocation period with the campus completion.” Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Whaler said in a statement.

Florida’s business friendly environment

Initially, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro said that the business friendly environment of Florida was the reason behind the relocation decision. Moreover, Walt Disney Co. also purchased 60 acres of land for the Florida Campus. However, some Imagineers have left the company since the announcement of news back in July last year. The delay also comes amid a public feud between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state’s Parental Rights in Education legislation. The critics referred it to as “Don’t Say Gay”.

The new facility in Florida will be located near Orlando International Airport, about 20 miles southeast of the Walt Disney World resort. Although, the California based company is till finalizing the employees which they are planning to relocate. “We expect most Southern California-based DPEP (Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products) professional roles that are not fully dedicated to Disneyland or, in some cases, the international parks businesses will be asked to relocate to this new Florida campus.” Josh D’Amaro said in his statement.

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