San Diego Union-Tribune

DISNEY TOUTS $40B IMPACT IN FLA.

Company releases study citing 263,000 jobs as it battles DeSantis in court

- BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Schneider writes for The Associated Press.

Disney on Tuesday released a study showing its economic impact in Florida at $40.3 billion as it battles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees over their takeover of the district that governs the entertainm­ent company’s massive theme park resort in central Florida.

Disney accounted for 263,000 jobs in Florida, more than three times the actual workforce at Walt Disney World, according to the study conducted by Oxford Economics and commission­ed by Disney, covering fiscal year 2022. Besides direct employment and spending, the study attributed the company’s multibilli­on-dollar impact to indirect influences, such as supply chain and employees’ spending.

The jobs include Disney employees as well as jobs supported by visitor spending off Disney World property. Disney employs 82,000 workers in Florida, not only at Disney World outside Orlando, but also Disney Cruise Line in Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, as well as a resort in Vero Beach.

In central Florida, Disney directly accounts for 1 in 8 jobs, and for every direct job, an additional 1.7 jobs are supported across Florida, Oxford Economics said.

The time period in the study is before the takeover earlier this year of Disney World’s governing district by DeSantis and his appointees after Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientatio­n and gender identity in early grades. The law was championed by DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidenti­al nomination.

Disney officials in the past

year have said the company plans to invest an additional $17 billion over the next decade in central Florida, including potentiall­y adding 13,000 more jobs. However, the company has shown a willingnes­s to pull back investing in the Sunshine State. Earlier this year, Disney scrapped plans to relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product developmen­t, an investment estimated at $1 billion.

Disney World already has four theme parks, more than 25 hotels, two water parks and a shopping and dining district on 25,000 acres.

Disney is battling DeSantis and his appointees in federal and state courts over the takeover of what was formally called the Reedy Creek Improvemen­t District but was renamed the Cen

tral Florida Tourism Oversight District after DeSantis appointees gained control. The district was created by the Florida Legislatur­e in 1967 to handle municipal services like firefighti­ng, road repairs and waste hauling, and it was controlled by Disney supporters until earlier this year.

Before control of the district changed hands from Disney allies to DeSantis appointees, the Disney supporters on its board signed agreements with Disney shifting control over design and constructi­on at Disney World to the company. The new DeSantis appointees said the “eleventhho­ur deals” neutered their powers, and the district sued the company in state court in Orlando to have the contracts voided. Disney has filed countercla­ims, which include asking the state court to declare the agreements valid and

enforceabl­e.

Disney also has sued DeSantis, a state agency and DeSantis appointees on the district’s board in federal court in Tallahasse­e, saying the company’s free speech rights were violated when the governor and Republican lawmakers targeted it for expressing opposition to the law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics.

In an earnings report last week, Disney noted that while its theme parks worldwide had a year-to-year increase in operating income, it had decreased at the Florida theme park resort due to costs related to the closure of its immersive “Star Wars”themed two-night experience and lower visitor spending from a decrease in hotel rates.

 ?? JOHN RAOUX AP FILE ?? Disney World has four theme parks, more than 25 hotels and two water parks on 25,000 acres.
JOHN RAOUX AP FILE Disney World has four theme parks, more than 25 hotels and two water parks on 25,000 acres.

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