The Walt Disney Co. is delaying by more than three years the opening of a campus in Florida to which 2,000 workers were being relocated from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development.
Despite being targeted in recent months by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, Disney officials said Thursday that the delay had nothing to do with tensions with state officials.
Instead, more time was needed to build the campus in the Orlando area and the company wanted to give workers additional time to adjust to the transition.
The three-year delay comes amid Disney’s public confrontation with DeSantis over the Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”
The legislation prohibits the mention of gender identity or sexual orientation in primary grades, and the mention of it "in a manner that is not age appropriate" in older grades.
The new opening date for the Lake Nona campus is in 2026.
WUSF reporter Bailey LeFever contributed to this report.
