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Credit: DisneyWalt Disney World is setting out to make a lasting impact on Central Florida in more ways than one.
Last year, Disney announced plans for a massive housing project just north of Flamingo Crossings Town Center. The 80 acres of land would be dedicated to those in need of affordable and attainable housing, and the development is anticipated to be limited to applicants within a certain income range.
Disney chose to partner with The Michaels Organization as the main developer for the community due to their longstanding track record in building and maintaining affordable housing developments and communities. “We are excited to work with an iconic brand like Disney to deliver attainable housing for the Central Florida community,” said Michaels CEO John J. O’Donnell. “Our goal is to create a repeatable model that we hope will inspire other companies and municipalities to create high quality, attainable housing in their own communities.”
The first units will be available to qualifying applicants, including Disney Cast Members who may be in need of affordable housing. This comes off the heels of Disney’s elongated battle with Cast Member Unions on wage increases, with Cast Members fighting tooth and nail for a living wage amidst a Central Florida real estate crisis. Last month, Disney struck a deal with the Union that increased Cast Member pay.
We haven’t heard much about the project since November 2022, but today, Disney made some major announcements on the project’s development and changes. Groundbreaking on the development is now targeted for next year, with the first available units anticipated to be completed in 2026. The plan was also expanded from 1,300 to 1,400 units, allowing even more to gain access to attainable housing.
Construction on the units will also create more jobs for Central Florida, expanding Disney’s status as the largest employer in Central Florida, with close to 75,000 employees.
In addition to their work on this new housing development, Disney also highlighted their recent collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, to which they donated $100,000 to fund a newly renovated youth center. They also totaled over $300,000 in donations to food banks in the last year.
Disney is highlighting their community efforts and importance to Central Florida amidst a bitter battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has pushed frequent threats to push political power over Walt Disney World after the company spoke out against his Don’t Say Gay bill. DeSantis has removed Disney’s special district privileges, increase taxes, increase tolls on roads leading to Walt Disney World, and even threatened to build a prison near the property. This is in spite of Disney being one of the largest employers and the biggest taxpayer in Florida.
Those who wish to follow the housing development or Disney’s initiatives in Florida should head to DisneyFlorida.com.