Orlando Becoming East Coast Headquarters for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
Several of the Californians I've met that have moved to Miami - Florida's most cosmopolitan city in a metro area of over 6 million - have complained about the lack of offerings in this city.

If that's anything to go by, they'll hate Orlando.
One aspect of Miami is some residents are wired all day and even into the night. The Cuban cafecito espresso drank day and night with spoons of sugar mixed in is super sweet rocket fuel for the body. Some Cubans I know that speak to me in Spanish speak so fast, I am not getting all that they say , I have to say " despacio, por favor". - Slowly, please.
 

scottb411

Well-Known Member
You have chains in your list.
Yes, there are a few but I left the bigger chains like Ruth's Chris, Flemings, Cheesecake Factory, Buca, Chuy's, Shake Shack and PF Changs out of the list for the area as these are well known brands. Some of the bigger ones like Tijuana Flats, BurgerFi, and 4 Rivers all opened their first locations in Winter Park so I included those in the list. First Watch is a chain but the Winter Park location is a new prototype restaurant that opened this year and has a bar that I recommend checking out:


Bolay is a newer chain out of South Florida but I am guessing most in this forum haven't heard of it and it really stands out to me for the "chipotle" style but a lot healthier. I could have included Little Greek here as well that is out of Tarpon Springs.

There are several other restaurants that have locations in other cities (ie. Hillstone, Boca, Sixty Vines, Brick & Spoon, and Bulla) but they are in a different category than the original mention of Darden and Outback/Carraba's restaurants. I think the rest of the list is primarily all individual restaurants or a regional chain with locations only around Orlando (ie. Black Bean Deli).
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Orlando isn’t without an established themed entertainment design industry. There is already the Walt Disney Imagineering Field Office at Epcot that has grown in recent years. Universal Creative has been based in Orlando for awhile now and people relocated to work on Universal Studios Beijing and Epic Universe. Companies like ITEC Entertainment, Nassal, Birket Engineering and Oceaneering Entertainment are based in Orlando and others have offices there as well. IAAPA moved their headquarters to Orlando not long ago. Southern California is definitely a larger talent pool but a lot of that was driven by Disney, so it’ll be interesting to see how many companies follow Disney by at least opening an office.

Do you think Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure or Velocicoaster would be better in some way had they been designed in California instead of Florida?
Yes, in many ways it may make sense to build on what's already there and have more of a field office set-up out in California for DLR. Perhaps some painful choices for many of those currently working in California and slated to be relocated, but Orlando certainly makes logical sense as the central hub for the themed entertainment design industry. In other words, I can see pros and cons!
 
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mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
Miami is very different than Orlando in a lot of ways and most of the people that I know that have moved to Orlando from Miami have said that they like it a lot better in Orlando and they would never move back. Traffic is their biggest gripe with Miami. I grew up in Tampa and like it in Orlando a lot better as well. I wouldn't automatically assume that they'll hate Orlando because they don't like Miami. The one area of concern that I've heard from people that I've known from California that compares to what they would miss the most would be how close that they are to the beach in California and that they can head out to the beach in the afternoon and go surfing. It's going to be an hours drive from Lake Nona to reach the nearest beach (Cocoa Beach) so that is something to think about.

When you say lack of offerings in Miami, what do they mean by that and do they know that we have swans?



I spent half of my life in Orlando and have been in Miami for the past 6 years solely due to work: my salary in Miami is approximately 6x the highest offer I received in Orlando. You just have to deal with a level of self obsessed "posterior"hole that I never encountered anywhere else.

I'd personally rather be in Orlando, but I'm in no rush. Maybe next year, maybe never, maybe move to another city.
 

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
One aspect of Miami is some residents are wired all day and even into the night. The Cuban cafecito espresso drank day and night with spoons of sugar mixed in is super sweet rocket fuel for the body. Some Cubans I know that speak to me in Spanish speak so fast, I am not getting all that they say , I have to say " despacio, por favor". - Slowly, please.

That's just the Cuban accent. Spanish is my first language, and I have to ask them to repeat themselves. Then again, we Puerto Ricans also speak rather quick, and some Miami Cubans have asked me to repeat myself.
 

MorphinePrince

Well-Known Member
I'd personally rather be in Orlando, but I'm in no rush. Maybe next year, maybe never, maybe move to another city.
When my obligations in North Carolina are done in about 2 years, I'm torn between moving back to Orlando or to somewhere new in Florida. I love Orlando dearly but it's kind of "been there done that" for me, ya know? The hubs and I are eyeing the Sarasota area. We will see.
 

cranbiz

Well-Known Member
I miss Central FL also. Kind of split between North Central NC and the Orlando area as far as quality of my life. Love where I am now in north of Greensboro, NC but really miss living in FL.

In my ideal retirement scenario, I would have my current NC home and a place in FL and live in each one 6 months a year.
 

flyakite

Well-Known Member
May I add a few more….

Santiago’s Bodega, Antica Pizzeria, Orlando Meats, Hangry Bison, Bad As’s Sandwich, Vinia, Sushi Pop, Trevi Pasta, Lotte Plaza Market, Taste of Chengdu, Domu, Chi-Kin, Tori Tori, Paris Bahn Mi, King Bao, Market on South, Maxine’s on Shine, Osprey, Se7en Bites, a’ la Cart, Kabooki Sushi, Henry’s Depot, Pharmacy, and the upcoming Hall on the Yard.

Good food is out here, of all sorts. Never seem to run out of new places with talented chefs.
 

DCBaker

Premium Member
"Disney could get more than half a billion dollars in state tax breaks for building a regional hub in Lake Nona where it plans to put more than 2,000 employees moving from California, documents show.

Disney’s capital investment for the project could be as much as $864 million, according to company projections made in documents released to the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday from the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

An estimate shows Disney could claim more than $570 million in tax breaks over 20 years for the project, the documents say.

The company is eligible for the money under the state’s Capital Investment Tax Credit program, for which it was approved in February 2020, according to Christina Pushaw, press secretary for the governor."

"Neither Disney nor the state revealed specifics on the tax incentives for the project until DEO responded to a public records request from the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday.

The campus is expected to be about 300,000 to 400,000 square feet, Disney’s application shows.

“Taxpayer intends to establish a regional campus that will take this international enterprise into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art modern overhaul of the operational software systems that helps drive the success for this company to create an efficient management system,” the application states."


 

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
I spent half of my life in Orlando and have been in Miami for the past 6 years solely due to work: my salary in Miami is approximately 6x the highest offer I received in Orlando. You just have to deal with a level of self obsessed "posterior"hole that I never encountered anywhere else.

I'd personally rather be in Orlando, but I'm in no rush. Maybe next year, maybe never, maybe move to another city.
Orlando the new CA transplants will see is not such a bad place to drive minus some idiots on the road driving fast or families lost on vacation. Miami mindset of driving is just like the driving behavior of Central and South America.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
300 - 400k sq ft? So like... 3-4 buildings?

A typical 4-5 story office building is easily over 100k sq ft. Figure about 20-25k per floor on a modest sized building.

Color me.. not impressed. But the 2k number was never that impressive either.
 

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
Orlando the new CA transplants will see is not such a bad place to drive minus some idiots on the road driving fast or families lost on vacation. Miami mindset of driving is just like the driving behavior of Central and South America.

I hope that the volume of CA plated cars I see daily on the road will eventually translate into a push for better services by the government, an increase in the number of craft breweries, more EV charging stations, legalized... something, and a greater variety of quality places for food.
 

el_super

Well-Known Member
300 - 400k sq ft? So like... 3-4 buildings?

Something isn't really adding up here. $800 million is theme park money... for a couple of office buildings?

When you get right down to it, even seemingly critical buildings like 1401 are mostly just empty warehouses.



“Taxpayer intends to establish a regional campus that will take this international enterprise into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art modern overhaul of the operational software systems that helps drive the success for this company to create an efficient management system,” the application states."


That's interesting. I haven't had much of an update from any of the people I know, but from conversations last week it was sounding like the IT groups that had stayed in California were the ones targeted to move first. Disney has IT resources spread all across the country, so it might make more sense if some of these transplants are planned to be from other states as well.
 

choco choco

Well-Known Member
“Taxpayer intends to establish a regional campus that will take this international enterprise into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art modern overhaul of the operational software systems that helps drive the success for this company to create an efficient management system,” the application states."



Man, is that ever a bunch of gobbledygook, puffed-up language that means exactly nothing. Was there a word minimum for this application?
 

choco choco

Well-Known Member
Sure, but isn't something like WDI fairly specialised? People often talk about employees as more or less interchangeable, but I do think in this case there is some risk moving a creative/entertainment division from one of the world's biggest creative and entertainment hubs that they'll lose some of that talent.

I suspect losing some of the best talent has already been factored into the equation. Disney doesn't really care about talent anymore, certainly not on the creative side. The more important trait is obediency, willing to follow the company line/absorb the groupthink.

It's all a value proposition. They are not aiming for excellence. Disney is willing to pay less to get less, so it makes sense to move to a location that fosters that kind of employee.
 

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