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The Florida Mall
USINFO | 2013-10-30 10:10
| Location | Orlando, Florida |
| Opening date | March 12, 1986 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. and JMB Realty |
| Owner | Simon Property Group (50%) |
| No. of stores and services | 250 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,849,000 sqft (171,800 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
The Florida Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in unincorporated Orlando, Florida, on the southeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road; it opened in 1986. The facility was developed by Eddie DeBartolo of DeBartolo Realty; it is currently managed by Simon Property Group, which owns 50%, having fallen to Simon following the 1996 merger of Simon and DeBartolo Realty into Simon DeBartolo Group. With 1,849,000 sqft (171,800 m2) of gross leasable area and over 250 retailers, it is one of the largest single-story malls in the United States.
Among the major retailers in the buildings surrounding the mall are Toys "R" Us and Rooms To Go, as well as a business plaza and several restaurants. The Florida Mall also controls an outdoor shopping plaza, The Terrace at The Florida Mall, next door to the east on Sand Lake Road. It features a Target, Marshall's and American Signature Furniture, and used to host Phar-Mor and Service Merchandise.
The Florida Mall is located close to Orlando International Airport and many other Orlando attractions including Universal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando. The Florida Hotel contains 510 guest rooms and suites. The hotel was built by E.J. DeBartolo and owned in partnership with Pratt Hotel Corporation of Dallas, TX.
Originally flagged as a Crowne Plaza, then as a Sheraton Plaza, the hotel was sold to Adam’s Mark in 1996. In 2004 the hotel was purchased by a group headed by the Bank of Scotland.
In late 2007, the mall's closed Lord & Taylor store was demolished. Lord & Taylor was the fifth tenant of its particular anchor, following Robinsons, Maison Blanche, Gayfers and Parisian; it was the last L&T department store operated in Florida. The land is being redeveloped into a mixed-use outdoor shopping area attached to the mall that will include stores and restaurants. According to the Orlando Sentinel, it was rumored to be the site of new locations for Zara, Dick's Sporting Goods and XXI Forever. Ultimately, Zara, XXI Forever and Florida's first H&M opened in the area in Fall 2009.
On February 24, 2012 Orange County Sheriff's deputies were called in with riot-gear to disperse a crowd of over 3,000 people waiting for the release of the new Nike Galaxy Foams at Foot Locker.
