Last year, an estimated 350 people representing specialty contractors flocked to a pre-bid meeting regarding construction of a 145-acre Legoland Florida theme park on the site of the former Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, 45 miles from Orlando. The development, which will be the world's largest Legoland, is the only theme park under construction in Florida. The gaggle of contractors gathered was a sign of the nearly starved construction economy—tantamount to vultures circling.
An aggressive, 13-month schedule made a design-build delivery system a must, says Scott Stewart, project manager for Legoland. “As soon as something is designed, we go out to bid,” he adds. Design-builder PCL Construction Services, Orlando, mobilized on-site last September. The park, themed around the plastic building-block toy, is scheduled to open in October.