Disney Files Permit for Contractor Lot to Support Tropical Americas Expansion at Animal Kingdom

4 days ago in "Tropical Americas"

Gallery / 2 Photos
Tropical Americas Contractor Lot Permit

Posted: Monday February 3, 2025 9:45am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has filed a new permit application with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for the development of a 10 acre contractor lot at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The DAK Contractor Lot is proposed as an infrastructure project to support the ongoing construction of the Tropical Americas expansion, which is replacing Dinoland U.S.A.

Tropical Americas Contractor Lot Permit

The permit details infrastructure improvements in an undeveloped area between Disney's Animal Kingdom and Western Way, near the Walt Disney World Horticulture department. The project includes:

Contractor parking
Sidewalks
Stormwater treatment systems
Drainage collection and conveyance systems

Tropical Americas Contractor Lot Permit

This new lot is expected to provide necessary facilities for construction crews working on the large-scale transformation of Animal Kingdom. The Tropical Americas project, which will bring new attractions themed to Encanto and Indiana Jones, recently saw the closure of Dino-Rama as part of its first phase.

Triceratop Spin and Dinosaur Treasures Removal - January 30, 2025

With permit activity ramping up, visible progress on Tropical Americas is likely to increase in the coming months. Disney is yet to provide an opening timeline, but we expect to see the project unveiled to guests in 2027.

Tropical Americas Concept Art

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

DHSfanatic4 hours ago

Exactly right.

James Alucobond5 hours ago

My immediate thought was that it's perhaps in reference to Roatán. Its indigenous population was likely Maya, there are Maya ruins on the island, and it is within Honduras, which also contains the ruins at Copán that others have noted especially resemble the red IJ temple. It's also just off the coast of La Ceiba, and there seems to be ceiba tree iconography at the temple as well.

Gremlin Gus5 hours ago

If I had to guess what "Ro" for TA means, yeah, I have absolutely no clue, I don't think it's a reference to anything in Encanto or Indiana Jones, so I'm guessing it's either an abbreviation for something (though the "O" would have to be capitalized), or it's a part of a word, your guess is as good as mine on that one.

Garyjames2205 hours ago

Over the years iv noticed Disney needs permits for everything, to change rides, even signs, new experiences etc Who do they need to get the permit from and why is this needed with more less everything if Disney own the land anyway and there just changing a ride etc Iv always wondered but never asked

Disstevefan15 hours ago

YaY! Now in 3 to 5 years from now there will be previews of this new land!!! 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

Agent H6 hours ago

That’s really interesting I didn’t know that thanks for sharing more information about your friends

MisterPenguin6 hours ago

Perhaps... The dusky seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima nigrescens) was a non-migratory subspecies of the seaside sparrow, found in Florida in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. Johns River. The last definite known individual died on Walt Disney World's Discovery Island in 1987, and the subspecies was officially declared extinct in December 1990. [URL unfurl="true"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusky_seaside_sparrow[/URL]

Agent H6 hours ago

reflections was supposed to be nature themed it could have something to do with that

HauntedPirate6 hours ago

"S" is for Sparrow. Don't know the significance.

MisterPenguin6 hours ago

Cool beans. Updated the list. You wouldn't happen to know the significance of: 89, S, and Ro?

lazyboy97o7 hours ago

Delos is also the mythological birthplace of the twins Apollo and Artemis who are associated with the Sun and Moon. Galaxy’s Edge was a twin project focused on “design once, build twice”.

MisterPenguin7 hours ago

Indeed... Project... (goes by first initial or full code word) 89 - Reflections Lodge (construction halted) Alcatraz - Rise of the Resistance Ascot - Toy Story Land (reference to Ken's ascot) Big Bird - Smuggler's Run: Millennium Falcon Delos - Star Wars Land DL / Delos II - Star Wars Land DHS (Delos runs WestWorld) Gamma - Epcot Hub reimagining Hubble - Star Wars Hotel (astrologer Edwin Hubble discovered other galaxies, far, far away) Kappa - Harmonious Marceline - Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway (Walt's home town) MK1 - Main Street Theater (cancelled) MK2 - TRON Mischief - Ratatouille Morpho - Avatar Land (the blue morpho butterfly) Nugget - Either the 50th celebration as a whole, or just the part that pertains to the MK castle and/or its fireworks Ro - The Tropical Americas land in DAK replacing Dinoland. S - The revived Reflections Lodge DVC. Now called Lakeshore. Sausalito - Cosmic Rewind (Guardian's ship = Milano. Milano and Sausalito are also cookies.) TIJ, The Italian Job - Gondolas (name of a movie, but gondolas are also boats in Venice, Italy) U - Polynesian DVC (maybe... Ukele?) See here: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/big-list-of-forum-abbreviations.939248/

Bill Cipher7 hours ago

Well yes, but I was wondering if we knew why the name was chosen. Project names are usually a reference to something adjacent to the project. For instance, RotR was "Project Alcatraz" because it involves a prison escape. TSL was "Project Ascot" because Ken mentions an ascot in Toy Story 3.