Disney announced on Thursday its plans to relocate 2,000 California jobs to Central Florida in an effort to increase collaboration and boost operations.
In a statement provided to TheWrap, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products chairman Josh D’Amaro said: “Expanding our already significant [Disney parks, experiences and products] footprint in Florida makes sense. Initially, our new campus will be home to more than 2,000 Cast, Imagineers and employees – driving further collaboration and creativity and allowing us to better integrate our business and functional teams.”
In a separate memo published by the Los Angeles Times, D’Amaro also said: “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.”
The move is scheduled to take place over the next 18 months and Disney will offer moving assistance to employees participating in the move.
Although conversations surrounding the move began in 2019, the company has yet to identify specifically which jobs will be up for relocation, but will mostly include employees in the parks, experiences and products divisions, company officials said.
The 2,000 employees involved in the move will join over 60,000 Disney employees already in central Florida. The announcement follows Disney’s plans to create a new campus in the planned community of Lake Nona, Florida — a location approximately 20 miles from the Disney World Resort in Orlando.
Disney officials emphasized that the move will not sever ties to Southern California — where Disney’s film and television studios are located — given that the 2,000 relocated employees represent a mere 5% of the company.