As Walt Disney World races to start building on Vehicles and Villains Lands in Magic Kingdom, the challenge has hit its first pace bump that would lead to a site visitors jam delaying its arrival at beginning line–or the end line for Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. This put up particulars the pothole introduced by the State of Florida, together with what this might imply for the closure, building, and opening timelines.
In case you’re unfamiliar with these plans, Walt Disney World introduced two all-new Vehicles sights in a reimagined space of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom throughout D23. This isn’t Radiator Springs or a clone of Vehicles Land from Disney California Journey, however it’s sizable sufficient for us to contemplate it Vehicles miniland at minimal. Together with this, they formally introduced Villains Land enlargement at Magic Kingdom.
Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Vehicles space will really substitute the Rivers of America, which means that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Sq. Riverboat will completely shut. This information let a number 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 building laydown yards. There are low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, necessitating extra work to ascertain 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 positioned past the berm, which means outdoors of Magic Kingdom visitor areas, with the third laydown yard that needs to be seen from inside Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards might be used for building gear, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and so on.
These approvals are a mandatory prerequisite for starting substantive building–the sort of 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 clarify how they’re going to substitute the misplaced stormwater runoff capability–they should offset what’s being misplaced by the Rivers of America. Such is the character of building 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 Extra Info’ letter concerning the 407 Basin Stormwater Modifications challenge. Because the identify suggests, it is a request for added info, clarifications, and corrections in addition to adjustments or revisions to components of the plan. Because it’s solely 6 pages (not like the ~1,000 web page preliminary utility), you would possibly as properly learn the entire thing for your self right here.
We’re going to handle frequent misconceptions about this deeper within the put up. The underside line for now could be that the sort of request is frequent in a challenge of this nature–we’ve simply by no means seen something of this diploma since Walt Disney World hasn’t undertaken a challenge that will displace a lot stormwater capability (at the very least to our recollection) since we’ve been protecting building. If I recall accurately, a number of of the DVC initiatives located on Bay Lake and/or Seven Seas Lagoon have obtained related requests, however I don’t recall which offhand (not the brand new Island Tower).
Massive image, the SFWMD actually needs to know extra concerning 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 issues. They wish to be sure that the development received’t lead to flooding inside or outdoors the development space attributable to misplaced stormwater runoff capability.
Additionally they request affordable assurances that the proposed challenge is not going to adversely affect 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 ensure 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. (Do not forget 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 Vehicles.)
Maybe most apparently, the SFWMD needs Imagineering to “discover sensible design modifications to cut back or get rid of adversarial impacts to wetland capabilities,” as a result of the applying doesn’t sufficiently show that Disney has adequately pursued website plan options that get rid of 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 simplest ways to mitigate the affect on water administration–together with various plans.
There’s much more to the letter than that–the SFWMD has outlined 20 downside factors (over two-dozen if you happen to depend subparts) that want clarification or supplemental info. However that is the overall gist of it and, once more, you possibly can learn your entire letter if you happen to’re involved with understanding 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 isn’t obtained inside 90 days of the letter, Disney’s utility might be processed for denial. Imagineering may submit a written request for an extension by way of the ePermitting web site.
Turning to commentary, I even have some tangentially-related expertise with the sort of allowing in a previous life. And by that, I imply I handled authorities allowing in Indiana, which clearly doesn’t have swamps. It’s largely cows, corn, and brownfields (very totally different areas, fortunately). The animating thought however appears related.
My expertise was that the federal government receives requests, analyzes them and gives a little bit of pushback to justify their very own existence, the applicant clarifies (usually after the automated granting of a 90-day extension to allow them to collaborate with counsel about how little info could be shared to fulfill the request), and no matter is submitted is ultimately 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 really appears critical about stormwater administration and wetlands, which is sensible as a result of your entire state is principally one big swamp–or is swamp adjoining. My impression (each firsthand and oblique) is that the state is pretty mild on authorities forms and useless crimson 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 clarify 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 cute animals that folks love (three-eyed fish are most likely high quality–minimal cuteness issue).
Now for what this isn’t. We’ve already heard a number 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 challenge. Even previous to this letter or any allowing, I noticed some ideas 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 isn’t the identical because the CFTOD. Its purview isn’t simply over Walt Disney World. The SFWMD’s accountability is to safeguard and restore South Florida’s water sources and ecosystems, shield communities from flooding, and meet the area’s water wants.
It’s a regional governmental company that manages the water sources 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 mentioned, the CFTOD of late 2024 additionally isn’t the identical CFTOD of this identical time final 12 months. Lots has modified there, and the management is now 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, however it’s gotten lots higher than final 12 months 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 occurring. Maybe through the top of DeSantis vs. Disney, however not now. I don’t suppose the optics among the many normal public can be the identical as they’re amongst some Disney followers.
The upside in endeavor this battle from a tradition warfare perspective has been exhausted, and reigniting that over this can 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 fallacious about the sort of factor earlier than.
For my part, what’s more likely is that South Florida Water Administration District isn’t happy with Walt Disney World’s proposals (from a totally impartial perspective), and there’s extra back-and-forth than anticipated on this. That would lead to important delays and prices spiraling past what was initially budgeted.
If something, that’s what’s probably to let the air out of the tires of the Vehicles land challenge: 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 challenge getting the greenlight from the state kind of as conceived at over 90%. I’m simply saying that if there may be some foundation for this not occurring, it’s most likely the SWFMD having authentic foundation for slow-rolling the challenge, and Disney shifting into a special 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 “company could have loads of time to expertise the allure and nostalgia of Frontierland as it’s at this time.”
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 by way of Summer time 2025 earlier than closing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. Disney Starlight Parade goes to be massively well-liked upon debut and can want ample viewing house throughout its opening summer season alongside the promenade in Frontierland. Development partitions up on one aspect 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 imagine 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 really constructed into the unique timeline of the challenge, 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 are able to 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 objective within the first place.
Beginning shortly after Labor Day 2025 is definitely nonetheless attainable–as are the few months earlier than then if Walt Disney World isn’t involved with beginning building proper across the debut of Disney Starlight Night time Parade. (Whole apart, however the spot above was a private favourite for ‘atmospheric’ viewings of SpectroMagic or MSEP. Notice that the picture is definitely a protracted publicity of the streaming lights of the parade. I look ahead to watching Starlight from the identical location.)
Additionally understand that it’s not like this challenge will get authorized, and partitions go up round Rivers of America the very subsequent day. There’s presumably an honest 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 items, however it appears attainable 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 the sort of factor earlier than–and it may extend the period of time followers must say goodbye to those areas whereas additionally decreasing visible blight till it’s completely mandatory.
In the end, 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 probability that the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island might be protected by way of at the very least Easter 2025, however that was most likely at all times the case.
I’d take {that a} step additional and predict that, no matter this request, you most likely have till at the very least August 2025 to say goodbye to the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. Even past that, there looks as if a reasonably 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 technique to protect the promenade and waterfront. I can settle for shedding Tom Sawyer Island and the riverboat, I suppose, however paving over that lovely vista is a bridge too far for me. Hopefully fan suggestions or a last-minute miracle can reserve it, however I’m not holding my breath.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Motels Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing it’s worthwhile to know!
Your Ideas
Ideas on the SFWMD’s request for added info? Do you anticipate that Imagineering will make main revisions and adjustments to the challenge, or just supply 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 interchange Rivers of America with Vehicles land? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even while you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
