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. 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. So were hoping if we can increase visitation increase our hours, increase capacity, we can bring those people back and get them working again, Sprouls said.