Company files $250M suit over land Universal acquired to build new theme park

Universal's Epic Universe - Concept Art 3
Lawyers for the Georgia company said they had to deal to buy that land, but the seller reneged.

A deal to buy some of the hottest land in Orlando’s tourist district was reneged on, according to accusations lobbed in a new lawsuit. Some of the land called into question is where Universal, now the landowner, is building its new theme park, Epic Universe.

Fourth Watch Acquisitions, a Georgia real estate entertainment development company, is suing Universal and Universal City Property Management in the lawsuit filed Friday in Orange County Circuit Court. Fourth Watch says its damages exceed $250 million.

Fourth Watch says it was under contract to buy about 135 acres for $125 million from Universal City Property Management, or UCPM. The two sides made an agreement in September 2017 and the closing was set for early May 2018 “following the expiration of the due diligence period,” according to the lawsuit.

Fourth Watch wanted to get into the theme park business in Orlando and had big plans for the land north of the Orange County Convention Center. The company wanted to build “a thrill-seeker’s extravaganza, featuring an iconic 750-foot-tall snow dome, ATV-tracks, river rafting, canyoning, ice skating, and surfing,” the lawsuit said.

It wasn’t a secret either.

“Industry leaders in the theme park industry such as Universal knew of Fourth Watch’s involvement with and plans for the land,” the lawsuit alleged.

But weeks before the deal was supposed to close, it unexpectedly fell through, Fourth Watch contended. UCPM instead sold the land to Universal on April 11, 2018, behind Fourth Watch’s back, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit accuses Universal and UCPM of forging a deal that cut out Fourth Watch and was part of a settlement from the fallout of Universal and UCPM’s long, contentious legal battle over the land’s development.

UCPM was run by Georgia developer Stan Thomas’ company, which controlled hundreds of acres for years until the company eventually lost it in foreclosure during the Great Recession.

In 2016 Thomas’ company sued Universal, arguing it still owned the rights to enforce the restrictions so a new theme park couldn’t be built there. It was a legal hurdle for Universal, which had long wanted to expand its theme park business. UCPM’s lawsuit was settled on April 11, 2018, and court documents don’t detail the terms of the settlement.

“By acquiring the Land, Universal could link large swaths of previous unconnected land it owned into a contiguous tract suitable for a large-scale entertainment property development,” the Fourth Watch lawsuit said.

And by cutting out Fourth Watch from the land purchase with UCPM, “Universal could also eliminate a competitive threat in the theme park industry,” the lawsuit said.

Universal publicly announced its plans in 2019 to open Epic Universe, a theme park resort with hotels, shopping and restaurants. The project construction faced delays during the pandemic, but the company has said Epic Universe will be ready to open by summer 2025.

Universal could not immediately be reached for comment for this story.

Gabrielle Russon

Gabrielle Russon is an award-winning journalist based in Orlando. She covered the business of theme parks for the Orlando Sentinel. Her previous newspaper stops include the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Toledo Blade, Kalamazoo Gazette and Elkhart Truth as well as an internship covering the nation’s capital for the Chicago Tribune. For fun, she runs marathons. She gets her training from chasing a toddler around. Contact her at gabriellerusson@gmail.com or on Twitter @GabrielleRusson .


5 comments

  • J

    April 11, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    So landowners can’t change their mind and sell to whoever they want anymore? What’s the use of owning land?

    • Con

      April 13, 2022 at 8:13 am

      Not if they are legally obligated with a contract to do otherwise.

  • J

    April 12, 2022 at 4:02 am

    It says under contract. Just like when you sell a house you sign a contract with the buyer. That way you can’t just accept a higher offer later and screw the buyer over. This will likely be settled for some cash.

  • C. London

    April 12, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    Fourth Watch’s park would probably not work out well anyway (see “Snow Dome” in Florida), so just take a settlement from Universal and go on about your merry way.

  • Max

    April 12, 2022 at 3:56 pm

    Don’t be mean to Universal :c
    And don’t try to stop them from building EpicUniverse )’:

Comments are closed.


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