Right now, Disney is not very happy with its home state of California. Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Disneyland Resort has not been able to open since March 2020, and it looks like it may be summer 2021 until the resort is actually able to reopen. And unfortunately, the tension between Disney and the government has created a lot of tension in the state which culminated last fall in Bob Iger resigning from Governor Newsome’s Economic Advisory Council and the Governor trading statements with Disney executives, saying he intends to be “stubborn” about reopening.
And though Disneyland isn’t going anywhere any time soon, a new report in the Orlando Business Journal suggests that Disney could be moving some of its essential operations out of the Golden State and into the Sunshine state.
According to the report, Disney could be looking at relocating part of its company to Lake Nona, a medium-sized community in southeastern Orlando, around 20 minutes away from Walt Disney World’s eastern gates. A spokesperson for Disney speaking with the Orlando Business Journal didn’t confirm or deny this rumor, saying “as the largest employer in Central Florida, we are always exploring opportunities for additional locations within the vicinity of our theme park, but there is nothing concrete.”
While there’s no way to know for sure if further Disney operations could come to Central Florida, it is worth noting that Florida is a much more tax-friendly state when compared with California, and that, coupled with the current friction between Disney and the state government, could make such a big move a good plan for the company in the coming years.
