Shroud in secrecy, WED Enterprises began work on The Florida Project shortly after the success of the west coast Disneyland.

In 1959, WED Enterprises began looking for a new location on the east coast. Marketing survey’s performed at Disneyland showed that only 5% of visitors came from east of the Mississippi River, where over 75% of the US population lived at the time. Additionally, Walt Disney did not like that his park was surrounded by business that sprung up around Disneyland, and wanted full and total control of his park guests experience.

Niagara Falls was considered for the Florida Project’s location, but the plan was killed and move as far south as they could go to avoid strong winters, preventing year-round operation of the park. Florida swamp land was cheap, and so Walt fly over the state to scout locations (on November 22, 1963, a very historical date for those who remember JFK). When Walt saw the then under-construction Interstate 4 highway and where it was going to cross the Sunshine State Parkway, now named Florida’s Turnpike, he had his spot.

Now the secrecy: If it went public that Walt Disney was buying land in Central Florida, swampland wouldn’t be so cheap. Under the disguise of various fake companies and names, Disney began to buy Florida swampland for about $180 an acre. By the time the Orlando Sentinel caught on and published their story about Disney buying property, they had acquired just over 27,000 acres of land. Manhattan Island is less than 15,000 acre’s.

On November 15, 1965, Walt Disney, joined with Governor Haydon Burns, officially revealed the Florida Project, and gave the park the name Disney World.
During the next few months, Walt and his imagineer’s planed the bigger, better park. The Florida Projects main objective was to build the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), in conjunction with a theme park. Walt Disney was not able to obtain funding and permission until he agreed to build Magic Kingdom first. Walt planned to drum up interest and excitement in a similar way he did Disneyland, by releasing a few TV shows before the parks opening. (Watch his recording here: https://youtu.be/UEm-09B0px8) In the show, Walt gives relevance to the size of the project, and explains the reason for its location. Watching this, its not hard to pick up the differences between Walt’s vision, and what Disney World looks like today. Not only did the Florida Project include the Magic Kingdom, it included an airport, a gateway to the entire project, an industrial complex, and a residential district EPCOT.

As you visit Walt Disney World, you’ll notice that all the public utilities and services or a government municipality are maintained by a group called the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The various names and aliases used to buy the Florida Project land petitioned the 9th Circuit Court for the creation of Reedy Creek Drainage District. A few minor land owners within the boundaries opted out, but the drainage district was incorporated on May 13, 1966, as a public corporation. Among the powers of a drainage district was the power to condemn and acquire property outside its boundaries “for the public use”. It used this power at least once to obtain land for Canal C-1 (Bonnet Creek). The final name “Improvement District” came shortly after when Disney knew it would be easier to carry out their plans with more independence. They petitioned the Florida State Legislature for the creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which would have almost total autonomy within its borders. Chapter 67-764 of the Laws of Florida was signed into law by Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on may 12, 1967, creating the District. On the same day, Governor Kirk also signed 2 more city incorporation acts within Reedy Creek ID: Chapter 67-1104 for Bay Lake & Chapter 67-1965 for Reedy Creek. Around 1970 the city of Reedy Creek was renamed to the City of Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Interestingly enough, the boundaries of the District and these cities did not include all the Disney property. In a press conference held February 2, 1967 in Winter Park, FL, Disney Vice President Donn Tatum clarified the improvement district and cities were create to serve “the needs of those residing there”, and the company needed its own government to “clarify the District’s authority to [provide services] within the District’s limits” and because of the public nature of the planned development. Since the District didn’t cover everything, it can be assumed it was meant to cover the are planned for areas where communities would be built for people to live.

The Florida Project was to be Walt Disney’s creation of a Utopian city, where the entire design is planned from the beginning for efficiency and the happiness of its residents. His plan was to bring the largest corporations and industries America had to offer into his EPCOT, facilitating the development of ideas and technologies for generations to come, and thus leaving Walt’s greatest design and project as his legacy for a better tomorrow. (More on EPCOT on our Epcot page)

Celebration, FL is Disney’s concept of EPCOT when they finally got around to building it, although it was updated to be more “new urbanism” instead of Walt’s modernist and futurist vision. (More on the Epcot page)

Sadly, not all was going as planned with the Florida Project. During the filming of Walt’s walk through of the Florida Project room, Walt would be so winded in between takes that he’d have to use an oxygen tank. The next day, Walt checked into the St. Joseph’s Hospital, located across the street from his Burbank studios. He scheduled surgery for his neck and back pain in November of 1966. During a preoperative exam, a mass was discovered on his left lung. Walt left the hospital to finish some studio work, and then returned to the hospital on November 6. Surgery was performed, his left lung was determined to be cancerous and was removed. Disney was released from the hospital, and spent Thanksgiving with his family. He collapsed at this home and was returned to the hospital on November 30. One of Walt Disney’s last actions was to describe to Roy everything about his vision for the Florida Project, using the ceiling tiles as a grid map. Walt passed away December 15, 1966, 5 years before the Magic Kingdom would open.

Up to Walt Disney’s death it remained the goal of the Florida Project was to build a city, where people lived, worked, and played in an efficient, model city of tomorrow.  But the Disney Company decided that without Walt’s guidance, the endeavor would fail. They didn’t have the face, the showmanship, the draw of Walt himself to attract the large corporations that the plans required. Instead, plans proceeded with the construction of the Magic Kingdom park, 3 resort hotels, and a transportation hub under the direction of Roy Disney, who made it his goal to fulfill his brothers dream of a bigger and better Disneyland. A goal that, arguably, Roy gave his life to.

–> Next stop, Magic Kingdom –>

 

Sources:

1966 EPCOT Film – The Florida Project. Perf. Walt Disney. Walt Disney Productions, 1966. YouTube. RetroWDW, 2 May 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2015
Sheppard, Patricia. “The Origins of Disney Parks Expansion: The Florida Project Press Conference.” Web log post. Disney Post. The Walt Disney Company, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2015
“The Florida Project.” Disney Park History. Weebly, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
Moraseki, SPUI. Disney Land by Company. 2005. Wikimedia.org. Disney Land by Company. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.