The year 2025 was one for big stories in real estate and development in Central Florida — big openings, big deals, and big controversies.
Universal’s Epic Universe opened its gates in May, inviting thousands of guests to experience the delights of Nintendo World and How to Train Your Dragon. With the park came new hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues along Orlando’s world-famous International Drive corridor, driving tourism spending to record highs.
Cities and counties are suing the State of Florida over a law that stifles their ability to regulate new development. And here in greater Orlando, a mayor’s private negotiations with a potential developer exposed a rift with the town council that threatens to stymie one of the region’s most significant infill development projects.
STORY OF THE YEAR: Hungerford School sale to Dr. Phillips Charities
In September, the Orange County School Board advanced a land deal involving the historic Hungerford property in Eatonville that would sell it to Dr. Phillips Charities.
Orange County Public Schools will take a $1 million down payment for the long-vacant land — a 117-acre former school campus along Interstate 4 and a gateway to the town — from the charity organization, according to the approved memorandum of understanding, to develop the land with housing, educational facilities, medical facilities and parks but then donate some of the property back to the town. The plan also calls for retail businesses, including a grocery store, and a conference center hotel.
The development will follow the framework established in the town’s master plan that was created with community input. It includes a mix of housing, education, healthcare and cultural facilities, including a history museum. (Master plan by Baker Barrios)
Both sides are set to come back to the table early in 2026, with the school board scheduled to convene in January to discuss a potential contract.
Ken Robinson, the president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities, said the charity intends to be stewards of the property for the Eatonville community and isn’t focused on profiting off the land.
“The most important thing is that we remain committed to supporting the future of the Hungerford project — we’re referring to it as the Eatonville initiative,” Robinson told GrowthSpotter. “We still remain committed to following some of the priorities established by the Eatonville residents …We want to see those come to fruition.”
Eatonville Mayor Angie Gardner negotiated the deal with the school board and the charity, expecting it to be embraced by the local officials and residents. But the council opposed the sale and slammed the mayor for her lack of transparency. It remains to be seen if the council will approve the zoning and development plans for the Hungerford site even if the sale goes through.
The Hungerford property is an important piece of history for a town founded by freed slaves. The site was once home to the Robert F. Hungerford Normal and Industrial School, a private boarding school for Black students when segregation-era white school districts would not educate them. The school board purchased it seven decades ago — for under market value and under controversial circumstances — and ran it as a public school. The school was closed in 2009, and demolished in 2020, leaving mostly vacant land surrounded by chain-link fencing.
Several previous attempts to sell the land have been unsuccessful, with the town rejecting rezoning measures, would-be developers backing out, and the state selecting a different area for its Black history museum despite an aggressive local bid on behalf of Eatonville.
If the school board approves the sale on Jan. 13, the charity will have a 180-day due diligence period before closing. Robinson said the goal is to complete the civil engineering work next year and begin construction in the spring of 2027 on the infrastructure, green spaces, and a public pavilion.
“It’s taken a long time to get here, in the sense that this property has been vacant for so many years,” Robinson said. “And it’ll be exciting in early 2027 to see it become a reality and something to benefit the community.”
POLITICS: SB180 overturns Orange County’s rural boundary
Jimmy Hester, who helped lead resistance to the proposed Sustanee development in east Orange, celebrated the project’s defeat in January but were wary that more fights were ahead. The next one could be court. Sustanee’s developers have sued to invalidate charter amendments intended to protect rural areas like those surrounding Hester’s homestead. Susantee proposed to build 1,800 homes near rural Lake Pickett. Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
A last-minute revision to a bill intended to aid in hurricane recovery created massive headaches for cities and counties by diminishing their ability to regulate new development. The law, Senate Bill 180, was pitched as a way to ease rebuilding hurricane-damaged structures, and passed with little debate at the end of the 2025 Legislative Session. But almost immediately, it was interpreted by the state to prevent any city or county impacted by 2024’s hurricanes from implementing stricter development rules.
Once signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, SB180 gave developers a tool to sue local governments that had denied controversial rezoning cases, like the proposed Sustanee development near rural Lake Pickett in Orange County. The DeSantis administration also nullified huge portions of Orange County’s 2050 Vision Plan and the county’s rural protection boundaries, which were overwhelmingly approved by voters in late 2024.
Orange County, Windermere and Deltona are among the 25 local governments that have sued the state seeking to overturn the law. Growth-management group 1000 Friends of Florida and an Orange County resident also filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new state law. Both cases were consolidated, and a Leon County judge heard arguments the day after Christmas on the state’s motion to dismiss the case.
The controversy has been a recurring topic of discussion leading into 2026 session, as elected officials and residents demand changes. Legislation has already been filed to narrow the scope of the law and return home rule authority to cities and counties.
LAND: Dix Developments buys Ashton Park property for $100 million
Dix Developments paid $100 million to assemble 1,568 acres in Palm Bay for the $2.5 billion Ashton Park master-planned community. (Rendering by CBA Architects)
Dix Developments closed the biggest land deal of the year after completing the $100 million assemblage for Ashton Park, a master-planned community on Florida’s Space Coast.
The Maitland-based developer assembled 1,568 acres in Palm Bay. The community will include residential, commercial, and town center components. CEO James Dicks told GrowthSpotter the deal was many years in the making. With the engineering complete, he’s wrapping up the development agreements with Brevard County and the City of Palm Bay.
Upon completion, the project will include:
961 Single-Family Homes
1,037 Apartments
1.5 Million Square Feet of Flex Space
3.9 Million Square Feet of Commercial/Industrial Space
A 133-Acre Town Center
“2025 was a big buying year. 2026 will be a big selling year,” Dicks said. “We will retain all of the commercial and multifamily space within the agreement.”
Dicks said he is finalizing a deal with a national developer, who will acquire the 1,100 acres in Ashton Park South in May and install all the infrastructure, including finishing the St. Johns Parkway, and sell lots to a minimum of five homebuilders.
Dix will retain the planned 101-lot equestrian community, which it will develop in concert with a local homebuilder. The Ashton Park North section of the community is under contract to a regional developer, who will release lots based on utility capacity. The first release, consisting of about 300 lots, will take place in June.
OFFICE: Siemens Energy announces move to Lake Nona Town Center
Siemens Energy will move its Orlando offices to this smart office building at 6876 Marwick Ln. in the Lake Nona Town Center. (Courtesy of Tavistock Development Company)
After calling East Orlando’s Quadrangle Business Park home for more than 40 years, Siemens Energy is pulling up stakes and moving its nearly 3,000 employees south … to Lake Nona.
The global energy technology leader and Fortune 500 company will occupy 242,000 square feet at 6876 Marwick Lane, the newest Class-A office building in Lake Nona Town Center. The lease covers almost the entire 8-story building, which was built on spec in 2023 and took home the award for Office Development of the Year from NAIOP Central Florida for its high-performance design, energy efficiency, and modern workplace experience.
The move had been in the works since 2018, when Siemens Energy sold its office building to Stockbridge Capital Group for $61 million and signed a 10-year lease-back agreement.
“Our technologies and services are in high demand throughout North America, and this new campus will help facilitate our growth. Lake Nona offers a modern workplace environment, including flexible workspaces, improved collaboration zones and meeting rooms, enhanced technology and better amenities in a more sustainable and energy-efficient building,” Siemens Energy said.
HOTELS: Universal and Loews open three hotels at Epic Universe
The Helios Grand Hotel is situated within Universal Epic Universe and includes a dedicated entrance to the park for hotel guests on April 5, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Universal opened the Stella Nova Resort, pictured above, by the entrance to Epic Universe in January. The neighboring Terra Luna Resort opened two months later, on March 25. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Universal Terra Luna Resort opened in March at Universal Orlando resort. (Universal Orlando)
Bar Helios, a 10th floor bar at Helios Grand Hotel features high-up views of Universal Epic Universe on April 4, 2025. The new 500-room Loews Hotel overlooks Universal Epic Universe and provides a dedicated entrance to the park. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
The Celestial Park fountain puts on a show at night with the Helios Grand Hotel in the background at Universal Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation opened to the public on May 22. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
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The Helios Grand Hotel is situated within Universal Epic Universe and includes a dedicated entrance to the park for hotel guests on April 5, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Universal’s Epic Universe opening dominated headlines this year, but the $5 billion theme park wasn’t the only addition to Orlando’s tourism landscape. Universal and its hotel partner, Loews Hotels, added 2,000 new hotel rooms to the I-Drive market with the rolling openings of three new hotels: Stella Nova and Terra Luna Resorts, which opened in January and March, followed by the April opening of Universal Helios Grand Hotel, which offers guests a private gate into the park.
Stella Nova and Terra Luna are side-by-side along Universal Boulevard, divided by Kirkman Road, just south of Epic. Each has 750 guest rooms, a shiny, tiled exterior and an interplanetary vibe. The rooms sleep four guests in two queen-sized beds and have curved windows inspired by space stations.
Amenities include Omega Cafe and Market for meals, Luna Bar in the lobby and the Moonrise Grill and Moonrise Bar at poolside. Terra Luna also features a fitness center, game room, outdoor hot tub and fire pit, plus a Universal Orlando Resort Store inside.
More than half of the 500 Helios Grand units — plus the rooftop bar area — have views down into the park. It’s a colorful, complicated sight by day, then a dark and sparkling experience by night, punctuated by fountain shows.
Features of the new hotel include the rooftop Helios Bar, which has views of Epic Universe as well as the other side of the hotel; Lotus Lagoon swimming pool area with cabanas; dining options named Flora Taverna and Aurora Market; and the Universal Studios Store. Helios also has select rooms with “How to Train Your Dragon” theming.
Paul Sexton, VP of HREC Investment Advisors, said the three Epic hotels absorbed most of the overnight stays in connection with the opening of Universal’s Epic Universe theme park this year, and once the park begins to operate at full capacity, a portion of that business will spill over to surrounding hotels. Universal and Loews also upped the game in the design and theming to complement the new park.
“I think absolutely that they are raising the quality of the hotel stock,” Sexton said. “And I think, in general, we’re starting to see the quality being raised even outside of those hotels, because there’s still a place in the market for some of the older hotels, or the economy segment. But when you start getting into the upper mid-scale and upscale and so on, you got to have a little game.”
INDUSTRIAL: Kroger-Ocado warehouse closing after three years
The Kroger eCommerce fulfillment center in Groveland on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The grocery retailer announced plans Tuesday to close the Lake County eCommerce fulfillment location that employs approximately 1,400 workers, most of whom are Groveland residents.(Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
The Central Florida region continued to outpace the nation in both development and leasing of new industrial space, but it was the spectacular failure of Kroger’s online grocery delivery effort in November that made the biggest news this year.
The national grocery retailer announced it will be closing an eCommerce fulfillment center in Groveland that provided jobs to 1,400 Floridians, about 935 of whom work directly on-site at the facility, by Feb. 1.
The announcement cut short a multi-year deal with the City of Groveland and Lake County, who collectively provided nearly $2 million in waived building permit fees, impact fees, tax rebates and more to Kroger — along with its technology partner, British online grocery company Ocado — from 2022 to 2024 in exchange for building the facility in Groveland.
Both Groveland and Lake County swiftly terminated their agreements with Kroger in the weeks following the announcement, forcing the Cincinnati-based grocer chain to reimburse over $460,000 to the county by Dec. 31 and another $1.4 million to Groveland by Jan. 30 for breach of contract.
At least 10 percent of the recovered incentive package from Lake County will go toward improving county road infrastructure, according to county officials, with another portion of the 2025 money earmarked for Kroger now set to go toward paying tuition and other costs for local, soon-to-be-out-of-work, Kroger employees who want to attend Lake Sumter State College, Lake Tech College or other job training programs.
“This proposal ensures that funds that were originally intended to support economic development continue to serve that mission by investing directly in our residents and strengthening Lake County’s workforce,” Lake County Economic Development Director Meg Brew said.
RETAIL: Big Boxes dominate Orlando’s retail market
Target will anchor the Lake Nona West lifestyle center with a 150,000-square-foot superstore. (Courtesy of Tavistock Development Co.)
2025 was the year of Big Boxes in Central Florida as the nation’s largest retailers flocked to Orlando. Target is adding at least three new superstores in Lake Nona, Haines City and Winter Haven. Sam’s Club and Walmart filed plans for side-by-side big box stores in both Davenport and Minneola, and for a new supercenter in St. Cloud. Meanwhile, Horizon West’s Hamlin community is getting a new Lowe’s Home Improvement Store and an 80,000-square-foot Life Time Fitness, a national health club and gym chain.
Dick’s Sporting Goods opened a new store at Plaza Collina and is building one at Lake Nona West. Costco filed plans for a new membership warehouse at Seminole Towne Center, and Floor & Decor finally opened in Kissimmee.
Another notable opening this year was the long-awaited H Mart Asian superstore on West Colonial Drive after a two-year construction period. At 183,894 square feet, the Orlando store is the largest H Mart in the United States, but it still couldn’t accommodate the thousands of shoppers eager to browse the gigantic food court and world-famous grocery selection in its opening weeks, leading to long lines waiting to enter.
Orlando Sentinel Reporters Steven Walker and James Wilkins contributed to this report.
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