At some point, the Sloth World Orlando story stops being surprising and starts being something else entirely. Every week brings a new development, and each is worse than the one before. This week, Orange County issued a stop-work order after inspectors found the International Drive warehouse connected to the attraction in violation of code requirements. That is on top of 31 documented sloth deaths, an expired state wildlife permit, active pressure from a Florida state representative, and ongoing inquiries being directed at federal agencies. The attraction has never opened. The problems keep multiplying. And the question of whether it ever opens at all is looking less like a matter of when and more like a matter of whether.
What Orange County Found This Week
County officials inspected the warehouse at 7547 International Drive and found it in violation of building and occupancy code requirements. Specifically, the building lacked the required permits to house animals and lacked proper occupancy approvals for its intended use. A stop-work order was issued following the inspection, which, under Orange County building and code enforcement practices, means that all work or use at the facility must immediately stop until the violations are corrected. The county formally authorizes resumption of activity. This is not a suggestion or a warning with a grace period. It is an enforcement action that halts operations until compliance is achieved and the county signs off.
The warehouse in question is the same facility identified in a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission inspection report from August 2025 as the location where imported sloths are received and acclimated before being transferred to the planned Sloth World attraction at 6582 International Drive. The county enforcement action and the state wildlife investigation are now linked to the same address and operation.
I am appalled to hear about the 31 sloths who died under the “care” of the not yet opened Sloth World in Orlando.
— Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@RepMaxwellFrost) April 23, 2026
These sloths — naturally solitary animals — were put in the worst conditions possible. They were taken from their natural habitats to a packed warehouse that wasn’t…
How This Orlando Story Got Here
Sloth World first drew widespread public attention after investigative reporting surfaced the FWC inspection report documenting 31 sloth deaths at the warehouse facility between December 2024 and February 2025. The report summarized statements from owner Peter Bandre telling inspectors that 21 sloths from Guyana died after arriving at a warehouse that lacked water and electricity, with space heaters powered from a separate building that failed during colder weather. Ten additional sloths from Peru arrived later in poor condition, two dead on arrival, and eight dying afterward.
Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani went public about the situation confirming she had contacted the FWC, called the absence of criminal charges unacceptable, and revealed that Sloth World was operating under an expired permit while still in possession of sloths. She also surfaced a significant regulatory gap in the current framework, noting that FWC permits carry no requirement to notify regulators when an animal dies, meaning the deaths at the Sloth World warehouse came to light only because concerned citizens reported them. Eskamani confirmed she was reaching out to federal agencies in addition to the FWC to continue pursuing the matter.
What the Situation Looks Like Right Now in Orlando
Following the wave of reporting that began earlier this month, Sloth World's website was reduced to a placeholder page, and the attraction's social media accounts appeared blank or inactive. The operation has not responded to media inquiries, and no updated opening timeline or public statement has been issued in the wake of the county enforcement action. The attraction has been delayed from opening for months and has never served a single paying guest.
The International Drive address itself has a troubled history. A planned animal attraction called Cool Zoo previously occupied the same space and also never opened, making Sloth World the second consecutive failed attempt to get an animal-based attraction off the ground at that location on one of the most visited tourist corridors in the United States.
The accumulation of enforcement actions against Sloth World now includes a state wildlife inspection documenting 31 animal deaths, an expired FWC permit, active political pressure from a state representative pushing federal involvement, and a county stop-work order for building code violations. Each of these individually would raise serious questions about the viability of the operation. Together, they paint a picture of an attraction that has never functioned legally, safely, or transparently and that continues to hold animals despite the official actions piling up around it.
