By Jim Carchidi
August 12, 2026
At least $1.1 billion in capital project funding was recommended by the Orange County Tourism Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Members reviewed 20 proposals during a meeting that lasted more than five hours and voted down some high-profile plans.
Requirements
Proposal reviews began last month with $3 billion in requests from local arts and culture, sports, tourism, and educational organizations. Funding comes from a 6% levy on hospitality lodging, which state law requires be reinvested into county tourism. Task force members convened at three meetings to review and recommend projects to county leaders for a final funding review.
Dr. Phillips Center President & CEO Kathy Ramsberger told The Orlando Real a $750 million TDT request would help fund an expansion that would provide 1,000 free events each year.
A $523 million proposal from Orange County Convention Center is part of an ongoing expansion plan at the North-South Building.
To qualify for funding consideration, proposals had to align with state-authorized tourism purposes and have the capacity to increase tourist-related business. A minimum investment threshold of $20 million was set to enable high-impact capital projects. Six proposals requested more than three times the minimum with two requesting over 30 times the minimum.
Recommendations
The following proposals were advanced to the next review phase:
- Orange County Applications Review Committee: $75 million-$100 million in multi-year funding for small to mid-size arts groups.
- Orange County Natural Resource Tourism Infrastructure Grant Program: Up to $25 million in multiple-year funding for natural tourism enhancements and preservation.
- Orange County Eco-Tourism Grant Program: Up to $50 million for multi-year competitive funding investments in nature-based tourism.
- Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs: An extra 1-2% of TDT revenue to fund smaller capital projects.
- Dr. Phillips Charities: $60 million to develop the Eatonville Museum of Culture & History.
- Creative City Project: $22.5 million over 10 years to fund the IMMERSE arts festival and support its growth as a draw for cultural tourism.
- 8 Waves Corporation: $25 million to fund construction of the I AM Children's Museum in East Winter Garden.
- Orange Audubon Society: $20 million to build the Orange Audubon Natural History Museum and a free eco-tourism attraction on 69.5 acres in Apopka.
- Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: $750 million for a master plan expansion with new theaters, banquet and event spaces, and additional amenities.
- Florida Citrus Sports: $54 million for a multi-level parking garage to serve Camping World Stadium and the upcoming Event Center.
- City of Ocoee: $30 million to expand Forest Lake Golf Club into a multi-use recreational and entertainment destination.
- Town of Eatonville Community Redevelopment Agency: $22.5 in funding for the Eatonville Heritage Tourism District.
Despite a favorable vote, the Creative City Project proposal was amended by the task force to a five-year plan due to concerns over long-term funding requests. While the adjusted cost is below the $20 million threshold, task force members elected to advance on the merit of the original submission. Creative City Project Executive Director Melyssa Marshall told The Orlando Real the support is encouraging.
“It felt like they truly see the value and wanted to create a path forward for IMMERSE,” she said. “The $20 million limit was a requirement to qualify, but not indicative of any limit on how much a project could be funded.”
Rejections
Not every organization was so lucky as eight proposals were not recommended. Among them was a $975 million request from The Orlando Dreamers to help fund the construction of a baseball stadium on county-owned property along International Drive.
Dreamers CMO Andrew Herdliska previously told The Orlando Real the group reported letters of intent for more than $1 billion in team acquisition funds and $1 billion in stadium financing. However, the absence of a team was among the factors behind the task force vote.
Orange County Convention Center's request to fund a $523 million, 200,000-square-foot addition to the North-South Building was refused over ongoing expansions at the same facility. A $560 million project is currently under way, adding 100,000 square feet of event space, 44,000 square feet of flex space, and a new entrance.
Final reviews
The recommended proposals will be reviewed by the Orange County Tourist Development Council on Aug. 18, then go before the Board of County Commissioners at a later meeting. Commissioners have the final say on project approvals and funding allocations. And have the ability to call back projects voted down by the task force.
Sponsor: The Orlando Real is sponsored by the Pozek Group — the #1 real estate team in Orlando and the Official Real Estate Team of the Orlando Magic.
About the Author
Jim Carchidi is an Orlando journalist and photographer with previous work at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. He covers development, arts, culture, and local stories for The Orlando Real.
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