The City of Orlando recently unveiled a commemorative plaque at the Cherry Plaza Hotel, marking the site where Walt Disney announced the “Florida Project” on November 15, 1965. This historic event, attended by Walt and Roy O. Disney and then-Florida Governor Hayden Burns, changed Florida forever after over a year of speculation about land purchases in the Orlando area. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Disney World President Jeff Vahle emphasized that this announcement represented a partnership with the community, highlighting Orlando’s transformation into a global tourism capital.
What Actually Happened at That Orlando Announcement
On November 15, 1965, hundreds of reporters joined civic and business leaders at the Cherry Plaza Hotel to hear the Disney brothers describe initial plans for a vast new entertainment enterprise larger and more ambitious than Disneyland Park in California. Walt spoke about building not only a theme park but also a “model community” that would showcase innovation in urban living, technology, and design, which was the early vision for what would eventually become EPCOT though not in the way Walt originally envisioned.
Walt Disney famously stated during the announcement “here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland: the blessing of size,” referencing the vast acreage that would allow the Florida Project to include elements impossible at the landlocked Disneyland in Anaheim. That blessing of size is exactly what enabled Walt Disney World to become the nearly 30,000-acre resort it is today, spanning an area nearly twice the size of the island of Manhattan.
Walt Passed Away Just Over a Year Later
Although Walt Disney passed away just over a year later on December 15, 1966, his dream lived on through the leadership of his brother Roy and the talents and dedication of the organization they established. Roy actually postponed his own retirement to see his brother’s Florida vision realized, overseeing the project through to the opening of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971, just months before his own death in December 1971, which is honestly heartbreaking but also beautiful that he dedicated those final years to making Walt’s dream come true.
The Economic Impact Is Massive on Orlando
Walt Disney World is now the largest single-site employer in the United States supporting 80,000 cast members, and Disney leads the industry in employee retention at a rate of over 80 percent with an average tenure of 12 years, meaning cast members stay three times longer than the national average. Beyond its own workforce, Disney supports thousands of small businesses throughout Florida, and in total one out of every 32 jobs in Florida can be attributed to Disney either directly through employment or indirectly through the ecosystem of businesses that depend on Disney tourism.
Since opening in 1971, Disney has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support to local nonprofits, schools, and organizations that help neighbors in need throughout Florida. Disney cast members spent more than 170,000 hours as Disney VoluntEARS in 2025 alone, contributing massive amounts of time and effort to community service projects.
Disney Is Still Investing Heavily in Orlando
More than 60 years after that historic day in Thornton Park, Disney continues investing in Florida with major expansion projects currently underway including Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, The Magic of Disney Animation and a Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios, and the largest expansion of Magic Kingdom in the park’s history with Cars and Villains-themed lands that will completely transform portions of the park.
Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle thanked the city of Orlando and the Thornton Park District for honoring this important part of shared history, stating that the commemorative plaque celebrates the past and reflects the bold vision needed for the future as Disney continues growing in Florida.
The commemorative plaque in Thornton Park serves as a touching reminder of the story Disney and Florida have written together over generations, connecting that ambitious 1965 announcement to the thriving resort destination that exists today and ensuring future generations can visit the location where Walt Disney publicly shared his Florida vision.
