Walt Disney secretly bought 27,000 Florida acres for $5m; it became Disney World
Walt Disney initiated a secret land acquisition strategy in Florida to develop Walt Disney World. The effort involved purchasing over 27,000 acres through front companies to maintain anonymity. This acquisition began in 1964 and was publicly revealed in 1965. While Disney did not survive to see the completion, his vision ultimately changed entertainment in America. The project included creating…
Walt Disney secretly acquired over 27,000 acres of land in Central Florida over a span of 18 months, with the goal of creating a larger and more expansive destination than Disneyland. The operation, known as "Project X," was led by Robert Price "Bob" Foster, a lawyer who joined Disney from the production of Disneyland. Foster secretly negotiated with more than 100 landowners to assemble the land, which was purchased through a series of front companies to maintain the true buyer's anonymity.
The final purchase covered approximately 27,443 acres, costing around $5 million with an average price of less than $200 per acre. The area was largely undeveloped, consisting of swamps, forests, and agricultural land. The secrecy surrounding the land purchases eventually became known, leading to the public announcement of Walt Disney World in October 1965.
Despite Disney's untimely death in December 1966, the vast property he secured allowed the company to build on an unprecedented scale. The Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971, turning Central Florida acreage into the foundation of Walt Disney World and initiating a new era of development and governance for the property.
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