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Is Orange County's $560 million convention center expansion on course to finish in 2029, as promised?

The Roadmap Reckoner · Orlando, Florida (International Drive) · last checked 2026-10-21

Verdict	PENDING, ON TRACK
Promiser	Orange County, Florida, through the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC)
Place	Orlando, Florida (International Drive)
Promised	2029 (finish; construction to begin in 2026, per the OCCC's March 27, 2025 release)
Delivered / status	Not yet due; construction green-lit March 2026, county still states a late-2029 opening at $559.7 million
Last checked	2026-10-21

Verdict: PENDING, ON TRACK. Construction was approved and green-lit in March 2026, the month the county's timeline set for its start [C31, C36], after enabling work began in October 2025 [C22]. The county's July 16, 2026 update to the Board lists "Start of Major Construction – April 2026" and "On Budget & On Schedule" [C43], and the Convention Center's own sponsored article of July 15, 2026 says "Construction for the Grand Concourse Expansion has begun and is expected to finish in 2029." [C45] The approved project total is within $560 million, and the county's stated opening is still late 2029 [C32, C33, C43].

In March 2025 the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) said construction on its Grand Concourse Expansion "will begin in 2026 and is expected to finish in 2029" [C1]. On March 10, 2026 the Board of County Commissioners approved a guaranteed maximum price for the construction needed to complete the Grand Concourse [C28, C38], and the county's presentation that day gave "Anticipated opening – Late 2029" [C32]. The 2025 promise is itself a later date for the same project: in 2019 the county expected it to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2023 [C5].

Last checked: October 21, 2026.

Re-checked October 21, 2026. The verdict holds. Two July 2026 records speak to the open question: the county's update to the Board lists "Start of Major Construction – April 2026" [C43], and the Convention Center's sponsored article says construction "has begun" [C45]. The county's proposed 2026-27 budget lists the Grand Concourse at a total project cost of $550,694,647, a third figure beside the two under What it costs below [C44]. The Convention Center's expansion page, read again, still ends at March 2026 [C46]. The county's tourist-tax task force listed the Convention Center's Phase 5B request under "TDT Projects that did not advance" on August 25, 2026 [C47], and on October 19, 2026 the Board approved its tourist-tax allocations 6-1 [C48, C50]; WFTV reported that the Convention Center "didn't get any money from commissioners in this round of allocations" [C52].

The promise. A $560 million expansion adding 44,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-square-foot ballroom, to start in 2026 and finish in 2029 [C1].
The start.
- Enabling work began in mid-October 2025 [C22].
- The Board green-lit construction in March 2026 [C36], the month the county's timeline set for the start [C31].
- The county's July 16, 2026 update lists "Start of Major Construction – April 2026" and "Completion of Foundations – Fall 2026" [C43]. The Convention Center's sponsored article of July 15, 2026 says construction "has begun" [C45].
- An April 13, 2026 county memo about a lay-down area for the contractor [C37] says "The construction is scheduled in coordination around active convention activity." [C42]
The cost. The county's March 10, 2026 presentation totals the project at $559,727,318.90 [C33]. Its July 16, 2026 update says "On Budget & On Schedule" [C43].
The finish. "Late 2029" is the most recent dated statement of the schedule found, in the county's updates of March 10 and July 16, 2026 [C32, C43]. The OCCC's project page still records no update after the March 2026 approval [C36, C46].

The promise

The OCCC's release, dated March 27, 2025 on its page [C1]:

"The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) embarked on a $560-million expansion project that will bring an additional 44,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-square-foot ballroom to the North-South Building. Construction for the Grand Concourse Expansion will begin in 2026 and is expected to finish in 2029."

The second phase. The same release said "the OCCC also received approval to design the second phase of the expansion project. Phase 5B would bring an additional 200,000 square feet of contiguous multipurpose/exhibit space to the building" [C2]. It gave no date for building it [C2].
The name. The county's contract calls the project the "Orange County Convention Center Phase 5A Improvements-Grand Concourse" [C41].

Timeline

July 2018. "In July 2018, the Orange County BCC approved a $605 million Capital Improvement Project for two proposed Campus Master Plan projects. Those projects are the Convention Way Grand Concourse and the Multipurpose Venue." [C3]
August 2019. The Grand Concourse was then to include "an additional 60,000 square feet of additional meeting room program and an 80,000-square-foot ballroom" [C4]. "The expected completion of both projects is the fourth quarter of 2023." [C5]
December 2019. The Board approved the design contract: "The total contract award amount is $38,389,062." [C6]
January and March 2020. The Board chose PCL Construction Services for the construction manager contract [C7] and approved its design-assist phase "in the not-to-exceed contract award amount of $4,839,788.07" [C8].
June 2020. At a work session, "Four options were proposed: continue with the project as is, finish the design and move forward with only the construction of the Multipurpose Venue, finish the design and move forward with only the construction of the Convention Way Grand Concourse, or complete the design and delay construction." [C9]
July 2020. "Citing a decline in TDT collections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the continuation of the North-South Building Expansion Project will be decided upon the recovery of TDT revenues in Orange County." [C10] "Design progress is at 45% completion." [C12]
August 2020. The Mayor announced "the suspension of the OCCC’s North-South Expansion Project architecture/design contract with Populous + C.T. Hsu, a Joint Venture, in addition to the termination of the CMAR with PCL Construction." [C11]
October 3, 2023. The Board voted to advance the convention center project [C13, C14], with two commissioners voting no [C13].
- It approved "Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion" [C14].
- The Grand Concourse still included "60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom" [C15].
- The Multipurpose Venue became Phase 5B, to be funded "at a later date when TDT reserves are at an optimal level to finance the project" [C16].
- The design stood at 50% [C17].
November 28, 2023. The Board reinstated the design contract "in the contract award amount of $39,924,624.64" [C18].
October 8, 2024. The Board appointed Turner Construction Company for the Phase 5A work [C19].
September to December 2024. "From September through December 2024, modifications were made to the design model, enhancing the building’s functionality." [C20]
March 27, 2025. The promise: 44,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-square-foot ballroom, starting in 2026 and finishing in 2029, for $560 million [C1].
September 16, 2025. The Board approved Amendment No. 3 to Turner's contract, "in the total amount of $29,763,896" [C21].
October 2025. "Enabling Work began mid-October 2025" [C22].
December 17, 2025. At the groundbreaking the OCCC said the expansion was "Set to begin construction in early 2026 and conclude in 2029" [C23], and "we remain committed to delivering this project on schedule" [C24].
January 2026. "In January 2026, the OCCC received 100% of the design documents for Phase 5B of the expansion project, paving the way for connectivity and the multipurpose venue." [C25]
January 27, 2026. The Board approved a further amendment, "the amount of $97,117,694 for a revised total contract amount of $129,373,700.31" [C26].
February 26, 2026. "On February 26, 2026, Convention Way along the North-South Building was temporarily closed in preparation for the upcoming construction. The road will remain closed for the duration of the project." [C27]
March 10, 2026. The Board approved Amendment No. 8, "in the amount of $345,524,165, for a revised total contract amount of $474,897,865.31" [C28], five votes to one [C29].
- The county said the amendment "establishes a guaranteed maximum price for major construction elements needed to complete the Grand Concourse improvements" [C38].
- The county's presentation gave "Start construction – March 2026" [C31] and "Anticipated opening – Late 2029" [C32].
March 2026. "In March 2026, the final project budget was approved, and construction was officially green lit by the Orange County BCC." [C36]
April 13, 2026. A county memo asked the Board to license a county lot to Turner as a lay-down area [C37]. It says: "The construction is scheduled in coordination around active convention activity." [C42]
May 5, 2026. That license was on the Board's agenda: "The term of this Agreement is two years upon execution unless sooner terminated or extended based on the provisions within the Agreement." [C37]
July 15, 2026. The Convention Center's article, labeled "Sponsored by Orange County Convention Center" on TSNN: "Construction for the Grand Concourse Expansion has begun and is expected to finish in 2029." [C45]
July 16, 2026. At the Board's budget work session, the county's update on the Grand Concourse (5A) lists "Construction GMP to BCC – March 2026", "Start of Major Construction – April 2026", "Completion of Foundations – Fall 2026", "Target Opening – Late 2029" and "On Budget & On Schedule" [C43].
August 25, 2026. The TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force's presentation to the Board lists the Convention Center's Project 5B request of $523M under "TDT Projects that did not advance" [C47]. The county's advisory says: "The Board accepted the Task Force’s recommendations" [C49].
October 19, 2026. The Board's special work session passed item 26-1224, "Approval of funding and future allocations for TDT eligible projects." [C48] The draft minutes in Legistar include a table the minutes attribute to Commissioner Crabb with the line "Est. Debt Service for OCCC 5B [$523MM]", and say that a motion based on that spreadsheet "died for a lack of a second" [C48]. Legistar's roll call records the item passing 6-1, with Commissioner Martinez Semrad voting no [C50]. Spectrum News 13 reported 13 projects and programs totalling $786 million [C51], and WFTV that the Convention Center "didn't get any money from commissioners in this round of allocations" [C52].

What changed, and why, in the record's own words

The first date arrived as the project restarted.
- In 2020 the county tied the project's continuation to the recovery of tourist-tax revenue during COVID-19 [C10], and the Mayor announced the suspension of the design contract [C11].
- The 2019 release expected completion in the fourth quarter of 2023 [C5].
- On October 3, 2023, at the start of that quarter, the Board voted to advance the project, with its design at 50% [C13, C17].
The restart funded one project, not two. The $605 million approved in 2018 covered the Grand Concourse and the Multipurpose Venue [C3]. The 2023 restart funded "the $560 million Phase 5A completion" [C14] and left the Venue for "a later date when TDT reserves are at an optimal level to finance the project" [C16].
The building changed after the restart.
- In 2019 and 2023 the Grand Concourse had 60,000 square feet of meeting space and an 80,000-square-foot ballroom [C4, C15].
- By March 2025 it had 44,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-square-foot ballroom [C1].
- The OCCC's page says of late 2024 only that "These updates focused on optimizing space usage, improving accessibility and addressing feedback from OCCC stakeholders." [C20]
- No record read says why the meeting space shrank and the ballroom grew.

What it costs

The budget. The county's timeline reads "BCC Approved $560 million Budget – October 3, 2023" [C30]. The money is Tourist Development Tax revenue [C14].
The approved total. The county's March 10, 2026 presentation gives "Grand Total $559,727,318.90" [C33], including "Owner Soft Cost Totals $87,210,092" [C34].
The construction contract. After the final amendment, Turner's contract totals $474,897,865.31 [C28].
Two figures in the county's own record do not match, and this entry does not reconcile them. The presentation lists the final guaranteed maximum price as $345,635,636 and the construction cost summary as $472,517,227.20 [C35]. The amendment the Board approved is $345,524,165, for a contract total of $474,897,865.31 [C28].
The second phase. The Multipurpose Venue's design documents reached 100% in January 2026 [C25]. The Task Force's August 2026 presentation lists its $523M request under "TDT Projects that did not advance" [C47]. No record read funds its construction or gives it a date [C16, C48].
The county's budget book. The county's proposed 2026-27 budget, filed for the July 16, 2026 work session, lists the capital project "Convention Way Grand Concourse" with a total project cost of $550,694,647 [C44]. A footnote says its figures are used "to accurately reflect Total Project Cost approved by the Board of County Commissioners" [C44]. This is a third figure beside the two above, and this entry does not reconcile them.

What to watch

Foundations. The county's July 16, 2026 update lists "Completion of Foundations – Fall 2026" [C43]. No record read says whether that has happened.
The schedule. The opening date on record is "Late 2029", from March 10 and July 16, 2026 [C32, C43]. The OCCC's project page still records nothing after the March 2026 approval [C36, C46].
Convention Way. The road is closed "for the duration of the project" [C27].
Phase 5B. Designed [C25]. In 2023 the Board said it would be funded "when TDT reserves are at an optimal level to finance the project" [C16]. The Task Force listed its request under "TDT Projects that did not advance" [C47], and the Board's October 19, 2026 allocations gave it no money, WFTV reported [C52].
A reported lawsuit. WKMG reported in October 2025 that a developer had sued over land-use restrictions (WKMG's term) that, it reported, tie the convention center's expansion to a road interchange [C39]. The complaint itself was not read, and its status is unknown.

What this entry did not check

What the work looks like on the site. The records read are the Board's agendas, minutes and presentations and the county's and the OCCC's own pages. The county's update and the OCCC's article are statements, not an inspection; permit and site records were not searched and the project's live stream was not watched [C36, C43, C45].
The October 19, 2026 allocations line by line. The draft minutes and the roll call were read, not the final minutes or the meeting video; what was and was not funded is from news reports [C51, C52].
The lawsuit. The court filing was not found, so nothing in this entry rests on it [C39].
Why the design changed. The OCCC names design changes "optimizing space usage" and gives no other reason [C20].
Any schedule after July 16, 2026. The minutes of the project's citizens oversight committee were not found online.
The two mismatched figures in the county's presentation [C28, C35].
The 2018 approval itself. It is quoted from the county's 2019 release [C3]; the 2018 minutes were not read.
News coverage. News was used only to find records. The one news report cited, WKMG's, is marked as a locator [C39].

Sources

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