Downtown Orlando Plaque Honors Disney “Florida Project” Announcement
We love Disney history, and here is a new offering that true Disney fans will love.
A new piece of Disney history has been honored in downtown Orlando. A plaque now marks the location where Walt Disney first revealed his ambitious plans for what would become Walt Disney World.
A Special Ceremony
The next time you are visiting Central Florida, take a small detour to downtown Orlando to check out this new plaque.
It was unveiled Thursday afternoon at a special ceremony attended by Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer, Walt Disney World president Jeff Vahle, Mickey Mouse, Commissioner Patty Sheehan, and other community leaders.
Photo: D23
The marker commemorates the historic press conference on November 15, 1965, when Walt Disney, Roy Disney, and then Florida governor Haydon Burns gathered at the Cherry Plaza Hotel on Central Boulevard to announce plans for the secretive “Florida Project.”
This was a new, bold idea that promised to bring happiness, innovation and opportunity to the state.
“On that day, the Disney brothers didn’t just announce a theme park, they announced a partnership with our community that was ready to dream bigger about its future,” Dyer said at the ceremony. “And there’s no denying that that partnership changed the trajectory of Orlando forever.”
Photo: Disney
The plaque features historical information about the original announcement, along with a photograph of Walt and Roy Disney from the 1965 press conference.
At the top of the plaque is a quote from Walt Disney that captures the scale of the vision.
“Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland…the blessing of size.”
Disney’s Impact
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What started as the Florida Project is now Walt Disney World. Covering over 30,000 acres in Central Florida, Disney has become a powerful economic engine for Florida, generating jobs, tourism and public revenue for the state.
Walt Disney World also supports 80,000 cast members and leads the industry in employee retention at a rate of over 80% and an average tenure of 12 years.
In addition, Disney also supports thousands of small businesses.
Celebration of History
Although Walt Disney passed away about a year after revealing the Florida Project, Roy Disney continued the work. Walt Disney World officially opened in 1971.
“I hope that this plaque not only serves as a celebration to our history, but serves as a reminder as to what we can accomplish when we have a bold vision, and we work on it together,” Vahle said at the ceremony.
Photo: Disney
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Article source/photo: fox 35
