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Third-Party Investigation Commissioned by Disney is Finished, and the Results Are Staggering

Posted by: Rebekah Tyndall Burkett November 15, 2023 0

A third-party investigation into the multi-faceted operations at the Walt Disney World Resort has finally concluded, and the findings are staggering.

Cinderella castle with bright sun overhead

Credit: Disney/Canva

On Tuesday morning, The Walt Disney Company released the findings from an investigation that took a deep dive into its impact in the state of Florida as the company continues to be at odds with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State legislature over the state’s decision to take over the governing district for the resort, which was initially set up by Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney in the 1960s.

walt disney and roy disney with florida governor

Credit: Walt Disney Archives

The findings, as compiled in a report by Oxford Economics–the entity responsible for carrying out an economic impact study related to Disney’s presence in the Sunshine State–are impressive, to say the least.

According to the report from Oxford Economics, which covered the company’s fiscal year 2022, Disney’s economic impact in Florida is $40.3 billion, and the Central Florida Disney Parks resort accounted for 263,000 jobs in the state. That’s more than three times the size of the actual workforce at the Walt Disney World Resort. While the investigation into Disney’s impact on the Florida economy attributed much of the resort’s impact to direct employment and spending, it also attributed it to indirect influences, which include supply chain and employees’ spending.

epcot's world showcase lagoon

World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT/Credit: Becky Burkett

Jobs generated by Disney’s presence in the Sunshine State include Disney employees, as well as positions that were supported by guests’ spending that took place outside of Disney World’s property. Per the report, Disney directly accounts for 12.5% of the jobs in Central Florida or one in every eight jobs in the region. For every direct job at the resort, another 1.7 jobs are supported in the state of Florida.

The Oxford report also revealed the impact Disney World has on tax revenue in the state, as shared by Scott Gustin with Nexstar Media:

“The Oxford study, which was commissioned by Disney, also revealed Disney is responsible for $6.6 billion in tax revenue, including $3.1 billion in annual state and local tax revenue generated by Disney, visitors, employees, and third-party businesses,” Gustin reported in a post on X.

Oxford Economics’ study took place before the State of Florida took over Disney’s governing district, called the Reedy Creek Improvement District. In early 2023, the Florida State Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis took the necessary steps to keep the district intact while renaming it and giving the governor the sole executive authority to appoint members of his choosing to the board. Renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the entity still serves as the governing body for Disney’s property in Orange and Osceola Counties.
New Details Shared on Highly Anticipated Experiences Coming to Walt Disney World Resort | Disney Parks Blog

The Walt Disney World Resort/Credit: Disney Parks

The Walt Disney World Resort includes four unique theme parks–Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as two water parks–Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, more than 25 themed Disney resort hotels, and a shopping, dining, and entertainment district known as Disney Springs–all on more than 25,000 acres (much of it yet undeveloped) just outside of the city of Orlando.
This post originally appeared on Disney Dining. 

About Rebekah Tyndall Burkett

Rebekah grew up in Forney, Texas and lives just outside of Dallas. She’s been a Disney superfan since childhood, experiencing the magic at Walt Disney World for the first time at the age of 11. Journeys to Neverland are at least a yearly occurrence for her, her husband and her four children (the Fab Four). When they go to the parks, they stay in Florida for three weeks at a time. Rebekah loves exploring the history of the parks, the genius behind the Magic in the person of Walt Disney, and she is intrigued by all things Disney World and Disney Imagineering. When in the parks, Rebekah and her husband Scott make the most of their time by enjoying every minute with their Fab Four, by delving deeper into Walt’s vision for the parks and into the history behind the Walt Disney World Resort, and by photographing the many different types of architecture at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and on the World Showcase at EPCOT. When she’s not in the parks, Rebekah is excitedly setting travel dates and planning her family’s next adventure to their happy place deep within the Sunshine State. On breaks from planning her next trip, Rebekah is a writer, journalist and children’s author, penning children’s books about kids with special needs that she affectionately calls “believement-achievement” stories. Her hobbies include creative writing, paper crafting and interviewing Imagineers. She is also an advocate for Autism Awareness and for children with developmental disabilities of all kinds.

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