Moving Disney to The Happiest Place on Earth

Whenever an athlete wins the biggest award in their sport they’re undoubtedly about to say “I’m going to the happiest place on earth!” Which is usually followed by the tears of being completely overwhelmed by what they just accomplished and the inability to express how unbelievably difficult it is to do what they do professionally. That phrase is something that Disney’s Imagineers will be saying, as the company told them they’d all be moving from Anaheim, California to Lake Nona, Florida, or lose their positions to those who are willing to imagineer themselves in the Sunshine State. What’s up with Disney’s best corporate minds making this decision?

Let’s start at the beginning: Well, in 1954 Walt Disney decided to bet his fortune on acquiring 160 acres of orange groves. No, he didn’t have that deep an affinity for freshly squeezed orange juice, although that would have been convenient. He wanted the land to become the Happiest Place on Earth. At this new campus of Disney, Walt decided to correct what foresight would have granted him in California and purchased tens of thousands of acres of Central Florida land. Considering that the land was mostly swamp people were eager to sell it. Disney had a saying that the first acre cost him $80, while the last was priced at $80,000. He called that 1,000 times markup “the Disney tax”. In Florida, the Disney company has land and power, something that is pushing them out of California. The company’s current CEO, Bob Chapek resides just outside of Los Angeles, meaning he’s a California resident. That means that one would assume that Disney would be rooting their corporation more deeply on the West Coast. They’re not and it’s something that’s been in the works for more than three years. Political affiliation has a lot to do with their decisions, as they’re being pushed out by anti-Disney sentiment in local council members. Disney had filed paperwork to begin construction on a new hotel for Disney Land Resort, had it approved, but then needed to change the location information. They refiled the same paperwork for a shift of two blocks from the original locale. Anaheim’s new city council denied the request and Disney had to cancel the construction of that resort.

From that point, the team at Disney took local politics a little more seriously, but Bob Iger, the company’s CEO in 2018, and his successor, Mr. Chapek took note of their absolute lack of self-government while in Anaheim. Considering Disneyland was what brought life, residents, and business into the city, many felt the actions of the council were disrespectful and unnecessary. Knowing that the company lacked the two things that would grant them the autonomy they sought, land and power, the decision was made to move their Imagineering teams to Lake Nona, Florida. The move won’t be completely finalized until 2023. The company has purchased 60 acres of space for this new campus, paying $46 million. The property, estimated at one million square feet, could roughly support 6,600 jobs. That many people need homes and if they’re transitioning from a California home, with a median price of $914,000, and looking into a comparable Central Florida home, which is 37% the price, at $343,000, the savings could be a great motivator. These new implants from California will have a huge effect on the housing sectors of Lake Nona and other parts of Orlando. The company’s headquarters will remain in California and the estimation is that 5% of the jobs within the company will be transferring, but relocating companies tend to move employees in waves, which lines up perfectly with the idea that the move won’t be finalized until 2023.