Olga Thompson/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images
- Disney will be relocating 2,000 employees to Florida.
- The company says the employees all work in the parks, experiences, and products division.
- About 60,000 employees already work in Florida, which Disney says is more "business-friendly."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Disney announced plans Thursday to move 2,000 employees from Southern California to a new campus near Orlando, Florida in an effort to increase collaboration amongst staff and consolidate operations, the Los Angeles Times and others reported.
The company has been planning the move since 2019, according to the LA Times, and most of the employees relocating are in the parks, experiences, and products division. Florida's business-friendly climate is also behind the move.
"Expanding our already significant footprint in Florida makes sense," Josh D'Amaro, chairman of the division, said in a letter to staff Thursday, according to the LA Times. "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."
Disney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disney has a total of 203,000 employees worldwide, according to its 2020 annual report. More than 60,000 of those employees are already located in Florida.
Disney says it will not be leaving the Southern California campus entirely, the 2,000 employees that are expected to move in the next 18 months make up less than 5% of the total population of California employees. Disney says they'll be paying moving costs for all 2,000 employees, the LA times reports.
Disney isn't the only company that has decided to move operations to Florida. During the pandemic, Florida has seen an influx of tech workers flocking to the sunshine state, welcomed by the state's governor who defiantly declared the state open for business last year much earlier than other states.
Company's such as Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, and Elliot Management have either decided or are considering opening up offices in parts of Florida.