In an October 1 press conference, Orange County, Florida Mayor Jerry Demings and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer addressed The Walt Disney Company’s recent round of layoffs, which are set to take effect in December.
Mayor Demings referred to the call he received about the Disney layoffs as “sobering, but not unexpected.”
He went on to say:
“[The layoffs were] sad news because they’re friends, they’re families, they’re acquaintances, they’re members of our community. We are providing crisis assistance to fill the period of time that they find themselves, perhaps, unemployed and employed, or in some cases they might be underemployed.”
Credit: Orange County Mayor’s Office
Speaking specifically about CARES Act funding, Mayor Demings said the relief funding would be used to help laid-off Cast Members:
“…regardless of if they live within the municipality or within the incorporated area. We intend to reallocate the funds…to provide additional assistance.”
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer was also present at Thursday’s press conference. He shared Mayor Demings’s sentiments regarding the Walt Disney World layoffs, saying:
“I agree with Mayor Demings…it wasn’t unexpected…we had seen the other theme parks laying people off and hotel chains, so it was likely that that was going to occur.”
Credit: Orlando Mayor’s Office
Both the city and county mayors agreed that the pandemic is far from over in central Florida and that hardships for the tourism industry are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Mayor Demings stated:
“Our economy has not recovered, our tourism has not recovered…and it will be some time before it does.”
TODAY, 10/01: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to host news conference discussing COVID-19. Watch live, starting at 4:30 p.m. The news conference can also be viewed at youtu.be/6ZwpQRYxbRM.
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