Walt Disney announced Tuesday morning that it will begin using Jacksonville ports instead of Savannah to ship most of the merchandise for its Central Florida theme parks.
Disney currently imports its goods through the Port of Savannah. Tuesday’s announcement will shift 75 percent of that cargo through JaxPort.
The volume would equate to about 2,500 20-foot cargo containers per year. The cargo originated in China, Thailand and Vietnam and contains merchandise for Disney’s Central Florida parks and hotels.
The company would not give a dollar figure for the deal.
Gov. Rick Scott and others on hand said the switch by Disney shows Florida is gaining favor as a place for shippers to use to reach Florida markets rather than going through ports in other states.
“We are working to make Florida the No. 1 state for business,” Scott said in a news release.
The announcement was made at Jacksonville’s TraPac terminal and included Scott, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, Port CEO Paul Anderson, Mayor Alvin Brown — and Mickey Mouse.