Amid the feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis over the so-called “don’t say gay” law, the Walt Disney Co. has delayed for more than three years plans to move about 2,000 high-paying jobs to Orlando, Florida, from California.
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said Wednesday 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. A Disney representative previously told the Orlando Sentinel the offices were expected to be operating in Orlando by December 2022.
The news follows tension between Disney and DeSantis that began in March over the company’s response to Florida’s “don’t say gay” law and has continued since. DeSantis signed laws to dissolve Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District and void Disney’s exemption under social media censorship legislation.
