DeSantis’s Office Sets the Record Straight on Disney’s Development Decision in Florida

Leah Barkoukis  / Townhall Tipsheet

 

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office set the record straight about Disney’s decision to nix a plan to construct a massive office complex, noting that “nothing ever came of it” despite announcing the project years ago.

In an email to employees on Thursday, Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chairman, pointed to the “considerable changes” that have taken place since the project’s announcement in 2021, such a “new leadership and changing business conditions.”

“[W]e have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus,” D’Amaro said. “This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one.” 

The project, which was estimated to cost $1.3 billion, would have relocated 2,000 jobs from Southern California to Orlando.

In reporting on the project’s cancellation, The New York Times began by emphasizing Disney’s sour relationship with DeSantis and cited two unnamed sources who claimed the feud “figured prominently into Disney’s decision to cancel the project.” Read more and see tweets here.