A new request for additional information (RAI) has been filed by the State of Florida’s South Florida Water Management District with regards to the submitted plans for phase one of the DinoLand USA retheming into a Tropical Americas-themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The RAI is rather standard, and this particular RAI could even be considered short when compared to RAI’s of similar-sized projects at Walt Disney World. We’ll take a look at the latest development and what it means for the project.
State Requests Changes for Tropical Americas Permit
A permit filed in late October detailed the first phase of work scheduled to take place for the transformation of DinoLand USA into a Tropical Americas-themed land. The permit, which includes water management aspects, was filed with the state of Florida and requires approval before the work can begin.
In terms of the request for additional information from the state, the request is rather standard, and even pretty light when compared to the numerous (ongoing) speedbumps that Walt Disney World is facing for the Beyond Big Thunder Mountain project at Magic Kingdom. The biggest request from the state includes Disney modifying its plans to add an extra one-half inch of dry detention or retention pre-treatment as part of the required retention/detention for the project.
We expect that Disney will be able to modify its plans relatively easily and fulfill the state’s request to gain approval for the permit.
While Disney previously announced that it planned on starting construction this Fall, a 2025 start date is more likely given that DinoLand will not face any phase one closures until the second week of January. Starting January 13th, the following attractions and offerings will be permanently closed:
- TriceraTop Spin
- Fossil Fun Games
- Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures Gift Shop
Other offerings such as the DINOSAUR attraction, Boneyard play area, Restaurantosaurus, and more will not close until the next phase of the project. It’s possible that the DINOSAUR attraction will remain open well into 2025, but it’s unlikely to remain open until 2026, although that’s not out of the question.
As a reminder, the Encanto-themed attraction will be a completely new build and the Indiana Jones-themed attraction will be a retheme of the existing DINOSAUR attraction.
For everything you need to know about the Tropical Americas retheme project for DinoLand USA, check out our article below!
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