A land-accounting issue remains among the hurdles for the proposed 44-acre Orlando Surf Park in Horizon West. On Sept. 23, developers met with Orange County’s Development Review Committee to discuss how to meet the county’s adequate public facilities rules, including an unresolved 4.82-acre gap in the land they must set aside.
The Sept. 23 meeting was the latest step after the project’s original submittal was denied in 2025, according to the Orange Observer. The county’s initial review cited environmental, technical and transportation issues. Under Horizon West rules, developers can meet adequate public facilities requirements by dedicating land for roads, schools, parks or public safety facilities. The surf park must provide 8.62 acres in total; right-of-way for transportation improvements could account for roughly 3.8 acres, leaving 4.82 acres unresolved, the Observer reported.
Park or Fire Station Floated, Then Dropped
The meeting included discussion of an on-site public park or fire station as possible ways to address the shortfall, according to the Orange Observer. Reviewers concluded neither was needed, given the nearby parks and fire station. An applicant representative said the team would continue working with county staff on the remaining acreage, but no alternative has been settled on.
The surf park's path to this point has been anything but smooth. Orange County's Board of County Commissioners cleared a major environmental hurdle in May 2025 when it approved closure and permit termination for the former construction and demolition debris landfill that sits on the site at Avalon and Schofield roads, according to Horizon West News & Info. Aside from a communications tower, the 44-acre property has remained otherwise undeveloped. The applicant, represented by Back & Hostetler LLP, is now seeking rezoning to a planned development district, a designation required for any development in Horizon West.
Waste Cleanup Plan Revised, Traffic Coordination Continues
On the environmental front, the applicant has submitted a waste relocation plan to the state environmental agency and later revised that plan to address feedback from the county, per the Orange Observer's reporting. David Bromfield of Orange County's Environmental Protection Division was among those involved in reviewing the site's cleanup. Separately, county staff and the applicant are coordinating on roadway grades, access points and right-of-way — the same category of transportation issues that stalled the project's earlier approval attempt.
Traffic concerns around the site predate the current review. In June 2025, Orange County scheduled construction of a permanent traffic signal at Schofield and Avalon roads to address severe bottlenecks near the property, according to Horizon West News & Info. The county's Development Review Committee cited sidewalk conflicts, fire safety gaps and unmitigated roadway congestion among the reasons the original 2025 submittal was denied, according to Attraction Insight. Fitting the project's parking and pool-facing retail into Horizon West's walkable town center standards across the site's sloped terrain has added another layer of design complexity, as detailed by Florida Trend.
Nearby road work and growth context
The Schofield and Avalon roads traffic signal was reported operational on March 31, 2026, according to the West Orange Times & Observer. That separate intersection project does not resolve the surf park’s access review. As historical context, the West Orange Times & Observer reported that Horizon West’s share of Orange County permits rose from 1% in 2002 to 34% in 2013. Those older figures do not establish current growth or explain the surf park’s review delays.
What the Finished Attraction Would Include
If it ultimately clears review, the site plan calls for an 850-foot by 475-foot wave lagoon ringed by an 80-foot artificial beach, with the lagoon capable of generating waves up to 10 feet high — a scale that would make it Central Florida's first proposed inland surf pool of its kind, per Florida Trend. The Orange Observer's reporting describes the broader vision as including a restaurant, beach volleyball, live entertainment and surf stores alongside the lagoon itself. Project specifications indicate the lagoon would rely on Webber Wave Pool System technology to produce customizable, ocean-style waves for surfers of varying skill levels.
The project is being pursued on behalf of Margate-based Ocean Sports Development Inc. at 7902 Avalon Road, directly across from the Orange County National Golf Center & Lounge. Developers have projected the construction phase would generate 250 to 300 temporary jobs, followed by 80 to 100 permanent positions — including facility management and trained lifeguards — once the park opens. Pricing plans announced in May 2025 called for free general admission with pay-per-session surfing starting at $33 for 30 minutes or $100 for 90 minutes. The project plan also includes youth surf lessons through Waves Surf Academy and facilities intended to host high school, NCAA and Olympic trial surfing events.
Still No Date for Next Review
Before the project can advance further, the applicants must submit an updated site plan along with revised engineering documents and adequate public facilities calculations, and they still need to address remaining planning, architectural and fire comments from county staff. The Development Review Committee is expected to meet again to continue the approval process, but no date has yet been set for that next session. For now, the 4.82-acre land question and the broader traffic coordination work remain unresolved, leaving Horizon West's would-be wave pool waiting on paperwork rather than surf.
