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2w ago

Orlando Dedicates Plaque at Downtown Site of 1965 Disney 'Florida Project' Announcement

The marker links the 1965 press conference location to a decades-long city–Disney partnership that reshaped Orlando.

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Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer, left, and Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle celebrate with Mickey Mouse at the unveiling of the plaque commemorating the announcement of the “Florida Project” by Walt and Roy Disney in 1965, during a ceremony in downtown Orlando, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle, second from right, does the honors, with, from left, Mickey Mouse, Orlando commissioner Patty Sheehan, Robert Soviero, executive director of the Thornton Park district, and Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer, at the unveiling of the plaque commemorating the announcement of the “Florida Project” by Walt and Roy Disney in 1965, during a ceremony in downtown Orlando, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Overview

  • The plaque was unveiled March 5 in the Thornton Park District at the former Cherry Plaza Hotel, now by the MAA Parkside building near Lake Eola.
  • Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle attended the ceremony, highlighting collaboration between the city, Walt Disney World, and the Thornton Park District.
  • The marker will be mounted on an exterior wall near an east-side entrance and features a photo of Walt and Roy Disney plus text noting Roy’s leadership after Walt’s death.
  • Walt Disney’s quote, “the blessing of size,” headlines the plaque, which commemorates the Nov. 15, 1965 press conference with then-Gov. Haydon Burns.
  • Coverage underscored Disney’s regional footprint—nearly 30,000 acres, about 80,000 employees, and company-cited tens of billions in annual economic impact—while pointing to current Florida projects including Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, a Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios, The Magic of Disney Animation, and a major Magic Kingdom expansion with Cars and Villains-themed areas.