Good news for those of us waiting on the new Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe expansion. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has announced that work will resume on the new park soon!

Epic Universe is a new theme park being developed on a 750-acre site. This new park is set to feature properties like Nintendo, How To Train Your Dragon, Universal Monsters, and more. When complete the area will add not only just a new theme park, but a hotel, restaurants, shops and more.

The original work had to be put on pause last summer when the pandemic had knocked down the Orlando theme parks. Now the construction will “restart immediately.” However they do note it won’t get up to “full-speed” for several months as they need to re-staff and get vendor and contracting teams back in place.

However, it’s expected to bring “in hundreds of jobs within Universal and thousands of jobs across Central Florida.” The project will also “infuse billions of dollars into the Florida economy – and also create more than 14,000 permanent jobs in addition to the thousands of jobs that will be created during its development.”

Orange County Mayor, Jerry Demings gave this comment on the situation:

“The restart of construction of Epic Universe is a terrific moment for our employees and for our theme park business in Florida. Our community has so many talented workers who will benefit from this massive project.  I am confident it will deliver a huge economic boost to Orange County.”

This is good news for the struggling state and hard hit Orlando area!

CEO Roberts offered the following statement:

“The restart of construction of Epic Universe is a terrific moment for our employees and for our theme park business in Florida. It is our single-largest investment in the state and represents our enthusiasm for the spectacular park and the economic opportunities it will generate.”

Chairman and CEO for Universal Parks & Resorts, Tom Williams also added:

“We are excited to begin work on Epic Universe again and for what this moment means for our industry, our community, our business and our team members. Our confidence in our collective future is as strong as ever.”

I’m so excited about this. I’m really happy for Universal Orlando and even more happy for the talented workers in the Orlando area who will benefit from the project being restarted. The area has taken so many hits, I’m happy to see them gain this opportunity once again.

Source: Universal Orlando press release