As Walt Disney World races to start development on Automobiles and Villains Lands in Magic Kingdom, the venture has hit its first velocity bump that would end in a site visitors jam delaying its arrival at beginning line–or the end line for Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. This publish particulars the pothole offered by the State of Florida, together with what this might imply for the closure, development, and opening timelines.
In case you’re unfamiliar with these plans, Walt Disney World introduced two all-new Automobiles sights in a reimagined space of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom throughout D23. This isn’t Radiator Springs or a clone of Automobiles Land from Disney California Journey, nevertheless it’s sizable sufficient for us to think about it Automobiles miniland at minimal. Together with this, they formally introduced Villains Land growth at Magic Kingdom.
Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Automobiles space will truly substitute the Rivers of America, that means that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Sq. Riverboat will completely shut. This information let loads of the air out of the tires from Walt Disney World’s in any other case blockbuster evening. (Okay, sufficient with car-related puns. Sorry, I’ll cease.)
Inside days of that, Imagineering filed permits with the South Florida Water Administration District that relate to stormwater displacement modifications and development laydown yards. There are low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, necessitating further work to determine usable gravel laydown yards within the first place.
There might be three in gravel laydown yards across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom. Two might be situated past the berm, that means outdoors of Magic Kingdom visitor areas, with the third laydown yard that must be seen from inside Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards might be used for development tools, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and so on.
These approvals are a essential prerequisite for starting substantive development–any such allow is required is when waterways are going to be rerouted or water is displaced. Mainly, earlier than the Rivers of America could be drained, Disney wants to elucidate how they will substitute the misplaced stormwater runoff capability–they should offset what’s being misplaced by the Rivers of America. Such is the character of development within the swamps.
About one month after the permits have been filed, the South Florida Water Administration District (SFWMD) has responded to Imagineering with a 6-page ‘Request for Further Info’ letter concerning the 407 Basin Stormwater Modifications venture. Because the identify suggests, it is a request for extra data, clarifications, and corrections in addition to modifications or revisions to elements of the plan. Because it’s solely 6 pages (not like the ~1,000 web page preliminary software), you would possibly as effectively learn the entire thing for your self right here.
We’re going to handle frequent misconceptions about this deeper within the publish. The underside line for now could be that any such request is frequent in a venture of this nature–we’ve simply by no means seen something of this diploma since Walt Disney World hasn’t undertaken a venture that might displace a lot stormwater capability (a minimum of to our recollection) since we’ve been protecting development. If I recall appropriately, a number of of the DVC tasks located on Bay Lake and/or Seven Seas Lagoon have acquired comparable requests, however I don’t recall which offhand (not the brand new Island Tower).
Large image, the SFWMD actually needs to know extra in regards to the potential wetland and floor water impacts, together with the next: sort of wetland or different floor water to be impacted, seasonal excessive water and wetland regular pool elevations, whole space/acreage of disturbed and undisturbed wetlands, in addition to higher labeling of wetland boundaries and upland buffers. The SFWMD is a water administration district (it’s proper within the identify), so it’s unsurprising that these are the character of their considerations. They wish to ensure the development received’t end in flooding inside or outdoors the development space as a consequence of misplaced stormwater runoff capability.
Additionally they request cheap assurances that the proposed venture is not going to adversely impression the abundance and variety of fish, wildlife, protected species, bald eagle, and so on. That Disney isn’t doing something to jeopardize the habitats of protected species. Mainly, the SFWMD needs to be sure that Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish hasn’t chosen the cement canal as its new native habitat, that Disney isn’t disturbing bald eagles, and so on. (Keep in mind that bear that broke into Magic Kingdom? SFWMD needs to make sure Disney isn’t pulling a “Bambi” and killing his buddies within the identify of Automobiles.)
Maybe most apparently, the SFWMD needs Imagineering to “discover sensible design modifications to scale back or eradicate adversarial impacts to wetland features,” as a result of the appliance doesn’t sufficiently show that Disney has adequately pursued website plan options that eradicate or scale back the impacts to wetlands. SFWMD needs supporting paperwork that principally present Disney has executed its due diligence to determine one of the best ways to mitigate the impression on water administration–together with different plans.
There’s much more to the letter than that–the SFWMD has outlined 20 downside factors (over two-dozen should you depend subparts) that want clarification or supplemental data. However that is the final gist of it and, once more, you may learn your complete letter should you’re involved with figuring out the nitty-gritty of the problems.
The South Florida Water Administration District is requesting a “full response” that addresses the entire downside factors. If one is just not acquired inside 90 days of the letter, Disney’s software might be processed for denial. Imagineering might also submit a written request for an extension through the ePermitting web site.
Turning to commentary, I even have some tangentially-related expertise with any such allowing in a previous life. And by that, I imply I handled authorities allowing in Indiana, which clearly doesn’t have swamps. It’s principally cows, corn, and brownfields (very completely different areas, fortunately). The animating concept nonetheless appears comparable.
My expertise was that the federal government receives requests, analyzes them and provides a little bit of pushback to justify their very own existence, the applicant clarifies (typically after the automated granting of a 90-day extension to allow them to collaborate with counsel about how little data could be shared to fulfill the request), and no matter is submitted is finally rubber-stamped. Everybody will get what they need ultimately, albeit with additional expense and wasted time. (Sadly, the Ron Swanson is definitely a legendary beast in Indiana authorities.)
Florida truly appears critical about stormwater administration and wetlands, which is smart as a result of your complete state is principally one big swamp–or is swamp adjoining. My impression (each firsthand and oblique) is that the state is pretty gentle on authorities forms and pointless pink tape, however water administration is one factor that’s correctly scrutinized. And for good purpose.
That’s principally what that is. Imagineering must do extra work to elucidate how water administration is not going to be adversely impacted, show that they’ve executed their due diligence in analyzing options, and clarify that they aren’t killing any lovely animals that folks love (three-eyed fish are in all probability positive–minimal cuteness issue).
Now for what this isn’t. We’ve already heard loads of hypothesis and wishful considering from followers about how the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District or the State of Florida may principally current insurmountable boundaries that kill the venture. Even previous to this letter or any allowing, I noticed some recommendations that slightly than a letter writing marketing campaign to Disney, followers undertake one to CFTOD or the governor.
Mainly, this isn’t any of that. South Florida Water Administration District is just not the identical because the CFTOD. Its purview isn’t simply over Walt Disney World. The SFWMD’s duty is to safeguard and restore South Florida’s water assets and ecosystems, shield communities from flooding, and meet the area’s water wants.
It’s a regional governmental company that manages the water assets within the southern half of the state, protecting 16 counties from Orlando to the Florida Keys and serving a inhabitants of 9 million residents. Its huge initiative is restoring the Everglades.
With that stated, the CFTOD of late 2024 additionally isn’t the identical CFTOD of this identical time final yr. Rather a lot has modified there, and the management is not adversarial to Walt Disney World. Ditto DeSantis. It’s nonetheless definitely a far cry from how issues have been below the Reedy Creek Enchancment District, nevertheless it’s gotten quite a bit higher than final yr when there have been threats of a jail, toll roads, and so on., on-site.
Personally, I’d be completely shocked if the state “took a stand” on this and prevented it from taking place. Maybe through the peak of DeSantis vs. Disney, however not now. I don’t suppose the optics among the many basic public could be the identical as they’re amongst some Disney followers.
The upside in enterprise this battle from a tradition warfare perspective has been exhausted, and reigniting that over this could be extra damaging from an anti-business perspective than it’d be fruitful. I simply don’t see the typical particular person caring about saving Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America from a historic or ‘Americana’ perspective. In fact, I’ve been improper about any such factor earlier than.
For my part, what’s more likely is that South Florida Water Administration District is just not glad with Walt Disney World’s proposals (from a very impartial perspective), and there’s extra back-and-forth than anticipated on this. That might end in vital delays and prices spiraling past what was initially budgeted.
If something, that’s what’s almost certainly to let the air out of the tires of the Automobiles land venture: money and time.
I’m not suggesting that may trigger Imagineering to return to the drafting board and even that it’s extra probably than not. On the contrary, I’d put the probabilities of this venture getting the greenlight from the state kind of as conceived at over 90%. I’m simply saying that if there’s some foundation for this not taking place, it’s in all probability the SWFMD having legit foundation for slow-rolling the venture, and Disney shifting into a distinct path because of this.
As for the titular query, Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America haven’t any deadline at current. Walt Disney World has solely indicated that work will kick “into excessive gear” in 2025, however earlier than then, that “friends may have loads of time to expertise the attraction and nostalgia of Frontierland as it’s right this moment.”
Beforehand, our guess is that this implies these closures wouldn’t happen till after Easter 2025. We additional speculated that Magic Kingdom would possibly attempt to get via Summer time 2025 earlier than closing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. Disney Starlight Parade goes to be massively widespread upon debut and can want ample viewing area throughout its opening summer time alongside the promenade in Frontierland. Development partitions up on one facet of the walkway would cut back viewing capability. (See Development & Openings Timelines for New Lands, Rides & Additions at Disney World.)
At this level, there’s no purpose to consider a 90-day delay or perhaps a 180-day delay with an extension materially alters the outer vary of that prediction. My guess is that this was truly constructed into the unique timeline of the venture, since it is a pretty routine request. If Imagineering doesn’t promptly file a response and if the SFWMD doesn’t rapidly approve, I do suppose we will rule out a closure of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island round Easter 2025. However which may’ve by no means been the purpose within the first place.
Beginning shortly after Labor Day 2025 is definitely nonetheless doable–as are the few months earlier than then if Walt Disney World isn’t involved with beginning development proper across the debut of Disney Starlight Night time Parade. (Complete apart, however the spot above was a private favourite for ‘atmospheric’ viewings of SpectroMagic or MSEP. Word that the photograph is definitely a protracted publicity of the streaming lights of the parade. I sit up for watching Starlight from the identical location.)
Additionally needless to say it’s not like this venture will get authorized, and partitions go up round Rivers of America the very subsequent day. There’s presumably a good quantity of backstage prep and website work that could possibly be undertaken even earlier than the waterway is drained.
I don’t purport to be an skilled on any of these things, nevertheless it appears doable that Disney may set up a coffer dam to protect entry to Tom Sawyer Island and the view of the Rivers of America for the entirety of 2025. They’ve executed any such factor earlier than–and it may extend the period of time followers must say goodbye to those areas whereas additionally lowering visible blight till it’s completely essential.
Finally, the back-and-forth on the SFWMD allowing course of doesn’t actually change an entire lot within the grand scheme of issues. It does considerably will increase the chance that the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island might be protected via a minimum of Easter 2025, however that was in all probability all the time the case.
I’d take {that a} step additional and predict that, no matter this request, you in all probability have till a minimum of August 2025 to say goodbye to the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. Even past that, there looks as if a fairly good risk that Disney does backstage work first, and this serene surroundings and entry are preserved till early 2026.
In fact, my actual hope is that Imagineering goes again to the drafting board solely and finds a method to protect the promenade and waterfront. I can settle for dropping Tom Sawyer Island and the riverboat, I suppose, however paving over that stunning vista is a bridge too far for me. Hopefully fan suggestions or a last-minute miracle can put it aside, however I’m not holding my breath.
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Your Ideas
Ideas on the SFWMD’s request for extra data? Do you anticipate that Imagineering will make main revisions and modifications to the venture, or just provide additional clarification and reassurances? Hoping that there’s nonetheless time for a change of plans if Florida doesn’t approve? Excited or underwhelmed by the plan to exchange Rivers of America with Automobiles land? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
