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

[CaptainAmerica]

I have a relative who works as another fortune 500 company. The middle managers tried to get all the engineers to come back to the office. The response was largely we know what work needs to be done in office give us flexibility or we will leave. Most of these engineers are paid more than the management. The people who need to do work on secure computers do come in but any meetings or non secure work are now work form home. Some employees work from home all the time, some that do secure work come in most of the time. In any case the middle management who pushed back to office was told that they should shut their mouths. Also engineers were given a no questions asked major market raise to account for inflation because that is what you do at a fortune 500 company with skilled employees you actually compete for on the open market.

Engineers are being laid off by the tens of thousands. When there was a labor shortage, tech talent could tell their HR departments to pound sand and basically set their own terms. That's no longer the case anymore. Workers are a lot less powerful than they were even a couple of months ago.

That said, Disney has a real estate problem in both California and Connecticut. If all of the people who have been working remotely came back into the office on the same day, there wouldn't be enough seats for all of them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Engineers are being laid off by the tens of thousands. When there was a labor shortage, tech talent could tell their HR departments to pound sand and basically set their own terms. That's no longer the case anymore. Workers are a lot less powerful than they were even a couple of months ago.

That said, Disney has a real estate problem in both California and Connecticut. If all of the people who have been working remotely came back into the office on the same day, there wouldn't be enough seats for all of them.

Engineers are still in incredibly short supply.

What happened in 2020-21 is that people who were retirement age…you know…actually retired? That reversed a trend of about 40 years.

It really shook up the system.
You know where else you can’t hire anybody? Try a school.

But digresssing. You’re reading half the news…but missing the important part. The laying off sectors are travel, tech and financial sectors…partly due to over-hiring the last few years…but mostly because those are the canaries in the economic coal mine.

 

[ChrisM]

Engineers are being laid off by the tens of thousands. When there was a labor shortage, tech talent could tell their HR departments to pound sand and basically set their own terms. That's no longer the case anymore. Workers are a lot less powerful than they were even a couple of months ago.

That said, Disney has a real estate problem in both California and Connecticut. If all of the people who have been working remotely came back into the office on the same day, there wouldn't be enough seats for all of them.

You'll notice these large tech company layoff announcements are being fairly non-specific about the types of roles being shed - but some have specified they are "global" reductions in force, so possibly not even US-based.

 

[seabasket]

Lake Nona seems reallllly promising tbh. With a more bullish position on the parks and a more financially accommodating place in Orlando, Lake Nona seems like a no brainer. As an (admittedly biased) engineering Student in Orlando, Disney has been showing up to significantly more Career Fair events promoting internships. It seems like a loooot more opened up this summer compared to other summers.

The movement/remotework/maneuvering of existing Cali imagineering is a cross to bear for sure, and I dont think having all of imagineering in Orlando is a good move, but I believe moving a significant portion here opens so many opportunities for Disney to pull engineers from the Theme Park capital of the world., and build some truly great attractions.

 

[JoeCamel]

Lake Nona seems reallllly promising tbh. With a more bullish position on the parks and a more financially accommodating place in Orlando, Lake Nona seems like a no brainer. As an (admittedly biased) engineering Student in Orlando, Disney has been showing up to significantly more Career Fair events promoting internships. It seems like a loooot more opened up this summer compared to other summers.

The movement/remotework/maneuvering of existing Cali imagineering is a cross to bear for sure, and I dont think having all of imagineering in Orlando is a good move, but I believe moving a significant portion here opens so many opportunities for Disney to pull engineers from the Theme Park capital of the world., and build some truly great attractions.

And so many people in Southern California sit down to the dinner table and say "Honey I think we should pack up, sell out and move to central Florida.....
I did my 20 years in Florida - it is hot and getting hotter

 

[sedati]

Can’t wait for this to get built and then have a governing board installed to stymie its actions.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

And so many people in Southern California sit down to the dinner table and say "Honey I think we should pack out, sell out and move to central Florida.....
I did my 20 years in Florida - it is hot and getting hotter

…and Du…

…wait…never mind

 

[mkt]

And so many people in Southern California sit down to the dinner table and say "Honey I think we should pack up, sell out and move to central Florida.....
I did my 20 years in Florida - it is hot and getting hotter

While many did the move, I personally also know of plenty who refused the move and jumped to other employers, including to my employer.

Florida's a joke when you're laughing at it, not when you're in it being laughed at.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

While many did the move, I personally also know of plenty who refused the move and jumped to other employers, including to my employer.

That was the “point” in the first place: wage busting

It was obvious. But a ridiculous concept…because now they jumped in bed with a regime that has publicly shamed/exploited TWDC more than any other incident in its history.

…lie down with the dogs, you know what you get.

 

[Lilofan]

And so many people in Southern California sit down to the dinner table and say "Honey I think we should pack up, sell out and move to central Florida.....
I did my 20 years in Florida - it is hot and getting hotter

Former DLR President Michael Colglazier who transferred from WDW to DL was asked by media what is the difference between DLR and WDW to him. Michael replied he doesn’t sweat as much at DLR.

 

[DCBaker]

Latest update on the Lake Nona campus -

"What is arguably Orlando's most anticipated development is set to take an important step forward this week, as The Walt Disney Co.'s (NYSE: DIS) new 60-acre Lake Nona campus will go before the city's development review committee March 9.

Lake Nona master developer Tavistock Development Co., which sold the land to Disney-related Dynamic Campus LLC in September 2021 for $46 million, is acting as applicant on behalf of the landowner for a request to approve a specific parcel master plan.

If the request is approved, next steps include submitting an official site plan, along with elevations, signage and landscaping plans for the city's appearance review board. Building permits would be the final step before groundbreaking for the project, which could cost north of $1.3 billion to build, based on expert insights and previous projections by Disney.

City staff recommend the request for approval, subject to conditions outlined in the report. The item has been placed on the meeting's consent agenda, suggesting the development review committee likely will follow that recommendation, as consent agendas are typically in place to streamline voting on routine or non-controversial items.

Conditions of approval outlined in the report include various process- and detail-oriented items related to planning, urban design, transportation, engineering, zoning, police, fire and water concerns.

Disney and Tavistock executives were not available for comment."

Full article below.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/03/08/disney-future-lake-nona-campus-development-florida.html

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Cancel it…

No seriously…call Gavin and get a deal and cancel this exploitive nonsense

 

[Coaster Lover]

...which could cost north of $1.3 billion to build, based on expert insights and previous projections by Disney....

I'm no expert on building costs, but that price seems insane for (essentially) an office complex... right? I mean Aulani was built for (an estimated) $800 million in 2011 and even adjusting for inflation, that would seem to put this project either as just as expensive as Aulani or more expensive...

 

[Disstevefan1]

That was the “point” in the first place: wage busting

It was obvious. But a ridiculous concept…because now they jumped in bed with a regime that has publicly shamed/exploited TWDC more than any other incident in its history.

…lie down with the dogs, you know what you get.

Just so we are all on the same page, TWDC is a California based company, If the bosses in California didnt want this to happen it wouldn't have happened.

I thought for sure after the RCID cr@p happened this was going to be cancelled.

So, it seems to me, the bosses in CA (including Iger) say one thing and do another.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Just so we are all on the same page, TWDC is a California based company, If the bosses in California didnt want this to happen it wouldn't have happened.

I thought for sure after the RCID cr@p happened this was going to be cancelled.

So, it seems to me, the bosses in CA (including Iger) say one thing and do another.

it always comes down to money.

Despite its recent hostility towards Disney FL is still rated the 4th most tax friendly state for businesses, CA is 47th. Moving jobs to FL saves Disney a lot of money and Disney loves money above all else.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Disney loves money above all else.

 

[Coaster Lover]

it always comes down to money.

Despite its recent hostility towards Disney FL is still rated the 4th most tax friendly state for businesses, CA is 47th. Moving jobs to FL saves Disney a lot of money and Disney loves money above all else.

Disney:

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

it always comes down to money.

Despite its recent hostility towards Disney FL is still rated the 4th most tax friendly state for businesses, CA is 47th. Moving jobs to FL saves Disney a lot of money and Disney loves money above all else.

…they could always cut a deal.

But this move is about busting salaries to go for a place that leaves standards of living up to “economic whims”

It’s not subtle. It’s to crap on California and exploit Florida

People around here want to believe it’s to build more rides at mgm and a new waterslide on castaway key.

But my…how that tables flipped over

 

[JoeCamel]

But this move is about busting salaries to go for a place that leaves standards of living up to “economic whims”

It’s not subtle. It’s to crap on California and exploit Florida

It's just bidness

 

[mkt]

it always comes down to money.

Despite its recent hostility towards Disney FL is still rated the 4th most tax friendly state for businesses, CA is 47th. Moving jobs to FL saves Disney a lot of money and Disney loves money above all else.

Where are you getting those numbers. On this source, Florida is ranked 11th overall for business, 30th for cost of doing business, and 39th for business friendliness, while California is 29th overall.