No happy ending for the big-eared firm in the battle against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney announced Thursday, May 18 that the group was giving up building a nearly $900 million campus in the Sunshine State, which was to accommodate employees near its amusement park.
The group, which recently initiated significant cost reductions, mainly puts forward economic reasons. “Given the significant changes that have taken place since the announcement of this project, including new management and changing economic conditions, we have decided not to proceed with the construction of the campus”writes Josh D’Amaro, the manager of amusement parks in the group, in a memo addressed to employees and consulted by Agence France-Presse.
But the decision also comes against a backdrop of strong tensions with the local authorities. Ron DeSantis, a rising star of the American hard right, ended the company’s special status in his state in February.
Disney responded by filing a complaint, saying it was a “targeted revenge” against the group for speaking out against a 2022 bill that restricted the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida elementary schools.
The company had announced in July 2021 its intention to ask employees to move to settle in Florida on a new campus, the cost of which, according to press reports, was estimated at the time at $ 864 million. “This decision was not easy to make, but I believe it is the right one”notes Josh D’Amaro in the memo.