ORLANDO, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday praised the response of Orlando-area theme parks to the COVID-19 pandemic as park leaders urged patrons to return.
During a round table event at Universal Studios, DeSantis said Central Florida was one of the hardest-hit areas in the state in terms of economic impact due to coronavirus shutdowns.
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“If you look statewide at unemployment, it’s hit everywhere at least somewhat, but here in Central Florida, it’s been arguably the most pronounced in terms of the unemployment rate, particularly with Orange County and Osceola County,” DeSantis said.
Between March 1 and June 30, people visiting Central Florida decreased by 67% compared to the same period last year, DeSantis said, and hotel room demand in Central Florida decreased between March 1 and June 30 year-over-year by 75%.
The major Central Florida theme parks, which each employ thousands of people, were forced to shut down in March at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and have slowly reopened in recent months.
Leaders from Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World used Wednesday’s event to invite patrons back to their parks and reassure them that they have plenty of safety protocols in place. The leaders said if more people visit their parks, they will have more money to rehire employees that were let go during the pandemic.
John Sprouls, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Universal Parks and Resorts, said about 85% of its full-time employees have returned, but the loss of revenue has meant many part-time employees that had to be laid off haven’t been rehired.
“So we’re hoping if we can increase visitation increase our hours, increase capacity, we can bring those people back and get them working again,” Sprouls said.
