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Disney Interchange Financing Embarrassing to County Officials

ORLANDO-Orange County taxpayers will be paying half the cost of a $100 million Interstate 4 interchange that is largely in neighboring Osceola County where the bulk of Walt Disney World's 30,000-acre empire is located. But Orange County, which takes in metro Orlando, will be collecting at least $110 million a year in total property taxes from the theme park giant. That will more than cover the county's $51 million charge for the new road.

By Alex Finkelstein | Updated on August 14, 2000

A deal that got by Orange County commissioners in 1996 is coming back to haunt them. For the next 20 years, taxpayers in metro Orlando and surrounding communities will have $51 million of their tax dollars go to finance half of a $100 million Interstate 4 interchange for Walt Disney World, Orange County’s largest taxpayer.

Orange County commissioners had mistakenly thought four years ago when they voted for the project, the interchange would be built on their dirt. Instead, the new road opens in December in neighboring Osceola County where taxpayers aren’t paying a dime for the project.

But there’s a bright side to the embarrassing scenario. Orange County taxpayers won’t have to fork over the funds unless the interchange generates additional revenue that would allow the county to pay for the cloverleaf. Once the road opens, the new property tax money will come from three Disney-owned assets–Animal Kingdom, Coronado Resort and the Disney Boardwalk attraction.

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