ORLANDO, Fla. – In the midst of a busy holiday season, more than 1,500 Central Floridians now find themselves in a precarious position, searching for more than just gifts, but for a job.
“It’s devastating,” said Orange County Commissioner Michael Scott, who represents District 6. “I mean, who wants to lose their jobs on the holidays?”
Scott spoke to News 6 Sunday, ahead of a career fair he is hosting in partnership with Career Source Central Florida.
The event comes on the heels of numerous recent announcements by companies, revealing layoffs at facilities in the region.
PepsiCo Foods announced last month that it would close two Frito-Lay facilities in Orlando. Effective May 9, 2026, 46 employees at a facility on Parks Oaks Avenue will lose their jobs.
[VIDEO: 500 people losing jobs in Orlando Frito-Lay plant closure]
That number is on top of the 454 workers who were already laid off last month. They worked at the Frito-Lay plant on Silver Star Road, which is in Scott’s district.
“One of the employees reached out to me,” Scott said. “She said she’s been working there for 26 years, and so you can imagine investing in a company for that amount of time, and now all of a sudden you don’t have a job, and not only do you not have a job, you don’t have that job around the holidays.”
Kroger also recently announced it would close a fulfillment center in Groveland, leading to the loss of almost 1,000 jobs.
[VIDEO: Groveland residents, small businesses feel ‘hard hit’ by loss of Kroger facility]
Hudson also revealed it would close four retail stores at Orlando International Airport, leaving 34 people out of work by late January.
“It’s scary,” Scott said. “You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow or next month or next year, and I hope this isn’t indicative of a potential trend of additional layoffs of other employers. Hopefully this is just a unique situation for these companies and that we don’t see additional layoffs next year. But it is scary.”
So the career fair, Scott said, comes at a critical time.
More than 20 prospective employers will be represented at the career fair, including Universal Orlando and a number of hotel groups.
“Some of [the employers] have actually committed — like, ‘We’ll be able to extend some offers either that day or the next day,’ so I’m excited, man,” Scott said. “I’m excited but also hopeful.”
The career fair will be held at the Orange County Multicultural Center, Monday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.