“The Florida Project” was announced by Walt and Roy Disney in 1965, and this year marks 61 years since Disney and the city of Orlando partnered together. Disney and leaders from the city met today in Thornton Park for a ceremony to commemorate it.
The Florida Project
On November 15, 1965 the first press conference was held to discuss Disney’s first official step toward Disney Parks expansion — when Walt and Roy Disney joined Florida Governor Haydon Burns to share news about their “Florida Project.”
The Walt Disney World project began under the pseudonym “Project X,” when seven Disney officials were selected to work on purchasing land for an undisclosed project in Central Florida. Over a period of nearly two years, a stretch of land twice the size of Manhattan would be secretly acquired at an average price of less than $200 an acre (shortly after the announcement was made, a nearby acre sold at $131,000!).
Rumors about who was buying the land spread throughout Central Florida, but it was not until the Orlando Sentinel published an article on October, 24, 1965 that the secret became known. The very next day, Walt Disney Productions gave Governor Burns permission to confirm the article.
Ceremony
This year marks 61 years since that press conference announcing The Florida Project, and Disney and Orlando leaders met on March 5 in Thornton Park (the site of the original announcement) for a special plaque unveiling ceremony.
The plaque includes a photo of the press conference and reads:
“Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland…the blessing of size.” – Walt Disney
On November 15, 1965, the Cherry Plaza Hotel became the stage for a moment that would forever change Central Florida. Following more than a year of speculation by the press and Floridians, Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney unveiled their “Florida Project.”
Hundreds of reporters joined civic and business leaders to hear the visionaries describe initial plans for a vas new entertainment enterprise, larger and more ambitious than Disneyland Park in California. Walt spoke of building not only a theme park, but also a “model community” that would showcase innovation in urban living, technology and design.
Although Walt Disney passed away just over a year later, his dream lived on through the leadership of his brother Roy and the talents and dedication of the organization they established. Today, this site of the former Cherry Plaza Hotel stands as a reminder of that historic announcement., It was here that Walt Disney’s vision first took public form in Florida — a vision that continues inspiring millions of families and children and remains central to Orlando’s story.
Disney and Orlando leadership met up today in Thornton Park to commemorate 50+ years of partnership and The Florida Project announcement by Walt and Roy Disney in 1965. pic.twitter.com/0ZwKbNOCtt
— Everything You Need To Know (@EYNTKinfo) March 5, 2026
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