Trouble haunts ruins of Splendid China
By Walter Pacheco
Sentinel Staff Writer
July 16, 2009
A few months ago, a glimmer of hope fell on a decaying Osceola County property, formerly known as Splendid China, when rumors circulated that Legoland was considering purchasing the site.
The rumors turned out to be as false as the crumbling replica of the Great Wall of China that snakes throughout the defunct theme park's 366 acres.
Although Splendid China debuted with much fanfare during the early 1990s tourism boom in Central Florida, dwindling ticket sales and poor maintenance doomed the $100 million attraction.
Since Splendid China closed in 2003, vandals have made it their playground, setting fires and painting graffiti on the walls of the temples. Skateboarders are breaking into the action by jumping the fences, filming high-definition videos of themselves skating through the replica of the Forbidden City and posting them on YouTube.
Osceola County records show the Boca Raton-based company that owns the massive parcel, which includes the theme park, undeveloped land and an empty hotel, has been trying to mend the long list of code violations.
"We have increased security and fenced in several areas," said Richard German of the Falcone Group. "We're trying to make it work."
Residents want it gone.
"It used to be a real nice place. I liked the gardens, and it was kind of quaint. But now we always see police cars there," resident Charlene Dowell said. "It needs to be removed."
Since 2005, Osceola County deputy sheriffs have responded to the Splendid China site, just southwest of U.S. Highway 192, nearly 80 times for calls about trespassers, suspicious persons and juveniles jumping over the fences.
Deputies arrested six teens on felony charges in April after they were accused of setting the theater and amphitheater on fire.
"Every once in a while you can see smoke coming from behind the walls," resident Terry Fernández said. Sheriff's records show fireworks have been reported as well as other building fires. "I hope it doesn't catch fire."
Other intruders are more brazen.
Several teenagers shot a video titled Big Trouble in Little China and posted it on YouTube. The video shows them skateboarding through the replicas of the Forbidden City, the Lunan Stone Forests and the Dalai Lama's Potala Palace.
The video-sharing site shows dozens of other similar skateboarding clips at the shuttered theme park.
Another video shows trespassers shooting pictures of a temple covered in graffiti and bragging about how they broke into the property.
The park's history is as troubled as its current state.
Splendid China opened in December 1993. A Hong Kong travel agency partnered with a U.S. developer to build the curious attraction. The park never took hold and shut down in 2003.
Since its closing, the parcel has shifted from owner to owner. It was purchased by the Falcone Group in 2005 for $40 million, property records show. German said it's on the table now for about $30 million.
Code violations have not helped unload the forgotten giant.
Records show the owners have been cited for several code violations — including opened and unsecured structures, garbage containers overflowing with debris and derelict vehicles, among other infractions — since it closed.
Records show the owners were never fined.
"We've done some clean-up and demolition to get unsafe things out," German said.
The company has made good on its promise.
Inspection reports from April show vehicles were on the property, collecting salvage materials and removing garbage containers. Notes also show the Falcone Group secured the site to keep intruders out.
Bryan Donahue of Impact Missions, a Christian nonprofit ministry that offers help to the poor in Africa, said German allowed his organization to salvage copper, aluminum, doors, windows and other materials from the site several times so it could be resold to fund the ministry.
Donahue said the site clearly shows the years of neglect and vandalism, but he hopes the future will be kinder to Splendid China.
"It's absolutely devastated. There is no doubt about that, but some good has come of it, too. Salvaging the materials has been incredibly beneficial to us," Donahue said. "We would not have been able to get where we are without their support."
Walter Pacheco can be reached at 407-420-6262 or wpacheco@orlandosentinel.com.
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