South Orange · I-Drive · Disney
Universal Epic Universe
Universal Blvd, Orlando, Orange County
Timeline
Opened May 22, 2025
Jobs
About 65,000 construction jobs; 17,500+ new jobs in year one
Universal's fourth Orlando park on roughly 750 acres, opened with three hotels alongside it: Stella Nova, Terra Luna and Helios Grand. It drove twelve straight months of year-over-year growth in Orange County tourist tax collections in its first year.
What it means for housing
This is the biggest new employment center in south Orange County in decades. It supports higher-wage hospitality management demand across Dr. Phillips, Windermere and Horizon West, and line-level worker demand in Kissimmee, Poinciana and Buenaventura Lakes.
Read this carefully
Phase 2 is unconfirmed. Universal said in February 2026 that it continues to scale Epic Universe, but has published no lands, budget or dates, and 2026 trade press contradicts itself on whether expansion sped up or paused.
Source: NBCUniversal one-year release
Southeast Orlando · Lake Nona
Orlando International Airport expansion
1 Jeff Fuqua Blvd, Orlando, Orange County
Investment
$5.9B ten-year capital plan
Timeline
Terminal C expansion opened July 2026; airside work late 2026
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority's ten-year plan, including the completed $1.8B South Terminal C and the $462M Terminal C expansion that opened in July 2026. Brightline's Orlando station sits inside the airport's intermodal terminal.
What it means for housing
The airport anchors the southeast Orlando growth quadrant: Lake Nona, Narcoossee, Boggy Creek, Meadow Woods, Hunter's Creek and now St. Cloud. Together with Medical City it is why 32827, 32832, 32824 and 32829 are among the most active new construction ZIPs in the metro.
Source: HNTB
Downtown Orlando
AdventHealth Orlando campus rebuild
601 E Rollins St, Orlando, Orange County
Investment
About $1B, including a $660M smart tower
Timeline
Construction begins mid-2026, Phase 1 complete early 2030
A roughly $1B overhaul of AdventHealth's main Orlando campus, anchored by a 14-story patient and surgical tower with 440 inpatient beds and 24 operating rooms. AdventHealth cites roughly 1,500 people moving to the Orlando area every week as the driver.
What it means for housing
This concentrates thousands of permanent healthcare jobs plus a large construction workforce in the downtown, College Park and Ivanhoe corridor, which is one of the metro's supply-constrained submarkets. Healthcare is Orlando's most durable non-tourism employment base.
Source: AdventHealth
South Orange · I-Drive · Disney
Orange County Convention Center expansion
9800 International Dr, Orlando, Orange County
Timeline
Construction begins 2026, complete 2029
The Grand Concourse expansion adds 650,000 square feet including a 100,000 square foot grand ballroom seating around 10,000, plus 44,000 square feet of meeting space. It is funded by the tourist development tax.
What it means for housing
The convention center is the demand engine for the entire I-Drive hospitality workforce. Expansion sustains hotel and service employment in south Orange County and supports the mid-priced rental corridor through Sand Lake, Meadow Woods, Williamsburg and south Kissimmee.
Source: OCCC
Southeast Orlando · Lake Nona
Sunbridge master-planned community
St. Cloud, straddling Osceola and Orange Counties
Investment
27,000 acres, up to 30,000 homes
Timeline
Orange County portion launches 2026
A 27,000-acre master-planned community entitled for up to 30,000 homes. A 55-plus village and the Weslyn Park neighborhood are built out or building, and the Orange County portion launches in 2026 with several additional national builders.
What it means for housing
This is where buyers priced out of Lake Nona land. It also means long-run resale competition from new construction is structurally elevated for anyone buying in St. Cloud or Narcoossee. Good for buyers, harder for sellers of 2021 and 2022 vintage resales.
Source: Tavistock Development
West Orange · Horizon West
Horizon West and Hamlin
Unincorporated west Orange County
Investment
23,000 acres, 200,000+ residents at build-out
Timeline
Regional Park Phase 1A opened February 2026
A 23,000-acre special planning area designed for more than 200,000 residents, with Hamlin as its 1,200-acre town center. The $15.6M first phase of Horizon West Regional Park opened in February 2026, and Hamlin Wellness District Phase 2 medical offices deliver in 2027.
What it means for housing
This is the metro's top-performing price band, with 34786 and 32836 running above 50% five-year growth on high-income, school-driven demand. It is also one of the heaviest new-construction competition zones, so builder incentives directly compress resale pricing power here.
Source: Orange County
Downtown Orlando
Travel + Leisure Co. global headquarters
Downtown Orlando, Orange County
Investment
$36M+ capital investment
Timeline
Opened January 2026
The NYSE-listed vacation ownership company opened its new global headquarters in downtown Orlando in January 2026.
What it means for housing
This is the biggest vote of confidence in downtown Orlando's office and residential core, and it is directly relevant to whether Westcourt succeeds.
Source: Orlando Economic Partnership
South Orange · I-Drive · Disney
I-4 widening, Osceola Pkwy to Central Florida Pkwy
14.7 miles of I-4, Orange and Osceola Counties
Timeline
Programmed for 2026
An FDOT project widening 14.7 miles of I-4 from six lanes to ten including four express lanes, with interchange rebuilds at Daryl Carter Parkway and Sand Lake Road.
What it means for housing
Express lanes measurably shorten the Kissimmee and Celebration commute to I-Drive and Universal, which supports pricing across Osceola County.
Source: CFLRoads
South Orange · I-Drive · Disney
Disney World development agreement
Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Orange and Osceola Counties
Investment
$17B ceiling, $8B binding floor over 10 years
Timeline
Approved June 2024, runs 10 to 20 years
The agreement approved by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District entitles a fifth major theme park, two minor parks, more hotel rooms, and retail. It requires at least half of construction work go to Florida firms, at least $10M toward attainable housing, and 100 acres donated to the district. Announced lands include Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom (2027), Piston Peak (2028 to 2029) and Villains Land (2030 to 2031).
What it means for housing
A fifteen to twenty year construction pipeline in southwest Orange and northwest Osceola. It sustains construction trade employment along the 192 and Celebration corridor and supports rental demand in Celebration, Horizon West, Windermere, Davenport and ChampionsGate.
Read this carefully
The $17B figure is an entitlement ceiling, not a spending commitment. The binding floor is $8B over ten years. Anyone quoting $17B as planned spending is overstating it. The $10M attainable housing commitment is small relative to the need.
Source: Engineering News-Record
Southeast Orlando · Lake Nona
Siemens Energy US headquarters
Lake Nona Town Center, Orlando, Orange County
Investment
242,000 sq ft facility
Jobs
About 3,000 employees
Siemens Energy is relocating its US and regional headquarters from the UCF Research Park to a new 242,000 square foot facility in Lake Nona Town Center. Lake Nona already holds KPMG's $450M Lakehouse campus, the USTA National Campus, Nemours Children's, the VA Medical Center and UCF Health Sciences.
What it means for housing
This moves roughly 3,000 high-wage households' commute anchor from east Orlando to southeast Orlando. Expect continued pressure on Lake Nona, Laureate Park, Eagle Creek and Narcoossee, spilling into St. Cloud and Sunbridge as buyers get priced out.
Source: Orlando Economic Partnership
Osceola · Kissimmee
NeoCity semiconductor campus (ELSPES)
NeoCity, Kissimmee, Osceola County
Timeline
Development agreement approved May 5, 2026
ELSPES, Inc. is building two phases of roughly 289,000 square feet each for high-performance silicon capacitors on about 40 acres inside the 500-acre NeoCity campus. SkyWater Technology also operates there at the Center for Neovation.
What it means for housing
This gives Kissimmee, St. Cloud and Poinciana a buyer profile that is not hospitality wage: engineers and technicians in the $90K to $120K range. It is the fundamental case for Osceola housing that does not depend on Disney.
Source: Osceola County PR26-19
Downtown Orlando
Westcourt sports and entertainment district
8.5 acres beside Kia Center, downtown Orlando
Timeline
Groundbreaking targeted 2026, opening projected late 2028
Jobs
About 3,400 construction jobs
A joint venture of the DeVos family, JMA Ventures, SED Development and Machete Group, with Turner Construction selected in May 2026. The program includes a 260-key hotel, 270 residential units, a 3,500-capacity venue, up to 300,000 sq ft of Class A office and 120,000 sq ft of retail.
What it means for housing
Downtown Orlando's residential market has been the metro's weakest, held back by condo insurance and assessment problems and an oversupplied Class A rental market. Westcourt is the main catalyst for re-rating the Church Street and Parramore area.
Read this carefully
The timeline has slipped repeatedly. Earlier plans called for a 2024 start and a 2027 completion.
Source: Engineering News-Record
Brevard · Space Coast
Blue Origin Project Horizon
Merritt Island, Brevard County
Timeline
Announced May 2026
Jobs
500 jobs at about $98,000 average salary
A $600M, 830,000 square foot New Glenn upper-stage facility. Blue Origin now employs roughly 4,000 people in Florida and reports $2.3B invested across 500 Florida suppliers at eleven sites in Brevard and Orange.
What it means for housing
Brevard is the highest-wage-growth housing market in Central Florida and the least tourism-dependent. These salaries support Viera, Suntree, Merritt Island, Rockledge and Titusville. Titusville is the value play: closest to the pads, cheapest basis.
Read this carefully
These are single-employer concentration towns, and Brevard carries higher coastal insurance costs.
Source: Florida Governor's Office
South Lake · Polk
Wellness Way and Olympus
Southeast Clermont, Lake County
Investment
16,000 acres, 15,400 homes approved
Timeline
Ongoing; SR-516 connects it to Orange County
Jobs
2,800 direct onsite jobs projected at Olympus
A 16,000-acre planned development area with 15,400 homes already approved plus industrial and commercial space, anchored by Olympus, a 260-acre sports and wellness campus. The new SR-516 expressway connects US-27 in Lake County to SR-429 in Orange County.
What it means for housing
SR-516 collapses the Clermont to Horizon West and Disney drive time, so expect Clermont and Four Corners to absorb buyers priced out of 34787.
Read this carefully
15,400 approved units is enormous supply relative to current absorption. That is a long-run headwind for resale sellers in south Lake County.
Source: Lake County comprehensive plan
South Lake · Polk
Fort Meade data center campus
Fort Meade, Polk County
Timeline
Groundbreaking targeted end of 2026, operations 2028
Jobs
450+ jobs at about $107,000 average
A 1,300-acre campus with a 1,925,000 square foot facility, supported by a $150M ten-year tax break approved by Polk County commissioners and a 20-year development agreement.
What it means for housing
Be careful with this one. Data centers are capital-intensive and job-light: 450 permanent jobs on $2.6B is a poor ratio next to NeoCity's 600 jobs on $470M. The real effects are a temporary construction workforce, upward pressure on land prices and electricity rates, and a narrative that inflates Polk County land speculation.
Read this carefully
The hyperscaler operator has not been publicly confirmed, and there is active local opposition to Florida data center projects.
Source: Daily Ridge
Volusia
Avalon Park Daytona Beach
West of I-95, Daytona Beach, Volusia County
Investment
2,760 acres, 8,818 homes
Timeline
Approved May 2026, 20 to 30 year build-out
Jobs
27,000 construction jobs over the project life
A 2,760-acre rezoning for 8,818 homes plus more than a million square feet of commercial space, with a charter school, downtown, grocery and retail. Infrastructure includes a Hand Avenue extension with bridges over I-95 and the Tomoka River.
What it means for housing
Volusia is the affordability release valve on the northeast side. This will pull Orlando-adjacent and coastal buyers into west Daytona over the next two decades.
Read this carefully
Local opposition on traffic grounds is already on record.
Source: Connect CRE
Regional
Brightline Orlando to Tampa
About 85 miles along the I-4 median
Investment
Seeking $400M in tax-exempt bonds
Timeline
No construction start date
A proposed 85-mile extension from the Orlando airport intermodal terminal west along I-4 to Tampa, with possible stops in Lakeland and near Disney. Tampa City Council voted in July 2025 to continue bond negotiations.
What it means for housing
If it were built, a one-hour Orlando to Tampa link would be the single largest re-rating event for Lakeland and Polk County housing, turning it into a genuine two-metro commuter market.
Read this carefully
Read this one carefully. There is no construction start date, no committed state or federal funding, and the Tampa station location study is still underway. Brightline deferred a bond interest payment in July 2025, which clouds its ability to raise the capital. Anyone marketing Polk County to you on the strength of Brightline is front-running an unfunded plan.
Source: Tampa Transportation
