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Universal Orlando launches lobbying campaigns for $125 million in public money

Originally published Dec. 13, 2019




By Jason Garcia and Stephen Hudak


As Orange County leaders prepare to vote on a controversial $125 million road deal with Universal Orlando, the giant resort and its foes are in a battle for public support — featuring door-to-door campaigning, organized protests and dueling websites.


At issue is $125 million that Orange County may give to Universal to help pay to extend Kirkman Road through the 750-acre property upon which Universal plans to build Epic Universe, which will be its third Central Florida theme park when it opens in 2023.


Commissioners are expected to vote on the package on Tuesday.


Universal representatives have been distributing flyers in Tangelo Park and other communities surrounding the Epic Universe land in an attempt to both promote the project and beat back criticism of the road deal.


“It is important to Universal Orlando that the community know the facts about our future growth and the benefits it will bring to the community,” said Alyson Lundell, a spokeswoman for Universal. “For this reason, we shared this information with thousands of our neighbors near Universal’s Epic Universe.”


But some residents of the working-class neighborhoods — many of whom protested the road at a commission meeting in August — say they worry the new park will degrade their quality of life with more traffic and noise. And they question the fairness of giving millions to a thriving corporation to build a road, while locals struggle in low wage jobs.


“We’re already overwhelmed by the impact of the parks and development in the area,” said Williamsburg resident Aura Inman, mother of a 2-year-old son. “The road isn’t designed to solve our problems.”


Richard Foglesong, a former political science professor at Rollins College, said it is rare for one of Orlando’s tourism heavyweights — owned by Comcast Corp., the cable and entertainment conglomerate that turned a profit of more than $11.7 billion last year — to campaign so publicly.


“Direct campaigning like this is new for Universal. Politically, they have pretty much stayed below the radar,” said Foglesong, the author of “Married to the Mouse,” a history of Disney’s political influence in Florida. “Universal has apparently decided that $125 million matters more than staying above politics.”


There has also been lobbying behind the scenes. Emails obtained by the Orlando Sentinel show the resort’s lawyers helped craft a new, fast-tracked permitting process approved by county commissioners this summer — designed specifically with Epic Universe in mind.


One Orange County commissioner, who questioned whether the process was being built to suit Universal prior to the vote, now says she feels misled.


“It’s really important for us to know what the motivation is behind something,” said Commissioner Emily Bonilla. “Corporations shouldn’t be running around and influencing the government ... It’s like they’re basically writing the law. And that, to me, is not right.”


Read the rest of the story here.


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