Disney shifts Florida strategy with political fundraiser and major job expansion

The Walt Disney Company is undertaking significant operational and political shifts in Florida. The company will host a $25,000-per-person fundraising weekend at Walt Disney World for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. This move signals a strategic realignment following years of legal and political conflict between Disney and state leadership, including former Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration, which previously sought to dissolve Disney’s self-governing district.

Simultaneously, Walt Disney World Resort is preparing for a massive multi-billion-dollar expansion. To support new developments such as Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, a Cars-themed area in Frontierland, and the Pueblo Esperanza land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the resort plans to add more than 5,000 new jobs over the next five years. This hiring drive aims to bolster its workforce, which currently stands at approximately 80,000 employees.