Credit: Inside The MagicDisney has realized that pledging $17 billion to expand its theme parks and bring billions in revenue and thousands of jobs to Central Florida will buy you quite a few friends. After spending years at each other’s throats, the Walt Disney World Resort and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have found common ground and, with that, will pledge millions to help Disney expand its parks.
Disney has already begun massive expansion projects at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom and will soon start a large project at Hollywood Studios. However, behind each of those projects, Disney needs the Board appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to support the infrastructure of those projects.
At its last meeting, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved $175 million in bonds to pay for expanded electrical system upgrades and wastewater and drinking water systems for Disney World’s new expansion projects.
While Disney World is the District’s largest taxpayer, it still needs its help for these infrastructure projects. At the meeting, District Administrator Stephanie Kopelousos told the Board that the District would be “very busy over the next few years.” Given the scope of Disney World’s projects, she may be underselling it.
To give you an idea of just how much infrastructure Disney World needs in the coming years, we have to look back at what the District has spent recently to keep the behind-the-scenes parts of the District humming. Since 2015, the Board has issued $186 million in bonds and spent $150 million on projects. In the coming years, it plans on exceeding that amount just on Disney’s new projects.
The District has already spent millions helping Disney World prepare for its expansion. At Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, the District has provided water and electrical services for the trailers put in place for the project. At Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, the District spent more than a million getting electrical services for the new hotel project.
Helping Disney helps the District. In fiscal year 2024, the District collected $190 million, most of which came from Disney World. The District includes a handful of other hotels besides the Walt Disney World Resort, but Disney World makes up around 86 percent of the District’s property tax revenue.
Disney World and the Board appointed by DeSantis have quickly realized that being friends is much easier than being enemies, and now, they have the spending to show for it.