SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Drivers heading through Altamonte Springs along Interstate 4 are likely already familiar with the infamous “Majesty Building.”
It stands 18 stories tall, being the only skyscraper in Seminole County.
However, it’s been under construction since 2001, and its unappealing appearance (at least during the early years) has led many to dub the building “Eyesore on I-4.”
WHAT IS THE “EYESORE ON I-4?”
WACX — also known as “SuperChannel Orlando,” an independent, religious TV station located in Leesburg — first bought the property in the late 1990s for over $1 million, eventually relying on donor money to construct the building.
While several plans were originally introduced for the building, it was ultimately decided that the tower would provide commercial office space to help bring in more revenue, with two floors being reserved for WACX and its operations.
According to local historian Jason Byrne, the nonprofit received millions of dollars in funding, with the initial goal being to complete the tower by August 2000.
However, that target was soon pushed back to New Year’s Eve, and then again to 2002 — kicking off a series of delays that has become a central theme for the building.
“Its completion has been a rallying cry toward donors for over two decades,” Byrne writes. “Over and over, (SuperChannel founder Claud Bowers) boldly claims that they only need $X million to finish the project, so send in your check now! Sometimes, that number is $10 million; other times, it is only $5 million. It has floated in that range literally since the project began.”
The TV station received $20 million from the FCC and even more money from the government for land that was needed for an I-4 expansion, and Bowers told News 6 in 2017 that the building would be finished by Thanksgiving Day that same year.
But just like all of the times before — it didn’t happen.
HOW MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE?
The building’s lights eventually came on in 2018, but SuperChannel has yet to release another estimated date for its official opening.
As of this week, SuperChannel’s website says that the building’s exterior and the 1,000-car parking garage are “99% complete.”
“We are now working on the BUILDING INTERIOR,” the website reads. “IN ADDITION, the NEW Interstate 4 on/off ramps at the building are now complete... and offer direct access from the expressway directly into the parking garage.”
News 6 reached out to SuperChannel for more information, and the nonprofit responded with this statement in an email on Thursday:
We met with City officials many weeks ago as to occupying the building (>>>ground floor…Rotunda first floor only, 20,000 sf). City was hesitant but agreed to consider the matter once our Architect submitted a plan for developing the Rotunda ground floor. Our Consultants prepared an extensive ground floor only buildout floor plan which we recently submitted it to the Architect.
If successful it would allow us to move all of our TV operations (offices, production studio, conference rooms, etc) and still have substantial space for possible client leasing only on the Rotunda ground floor. Of course, we will be required to finish any and all remaining Site work which we have focused on in recent months.
SuperChannel Centre Inc continues to proceed debt free…and we $pay as we go.
Note: Parking would be restricted to just a portion of existing first floor parking deck…
Statement on April 4, 2024
WHAT’S THE HOLDUP?
Local leaders said that SuperChannel is required to show signs of progress in its construction each year, but there’s no strict time limit for the building to be completed.
If the electrical and plumbing systems end up being out of date due to local statutes being changed, then the construction could end up taking even longer to get those fixed.
What’s worse: Byrne explains that since 2006, WACX has seen a dramatic drop in donors thanks to the Great Recession and the Trinity Broadcasting Network — which originally provided a large portion of WACX’s funding — dropping the station.
Byrne added that a low level of demand for commercial office spaces in the area could be holding the project back from completion.
Right now, the building is considered unfinished, which means that it’s only taxed on its land value — estimated at nearly $3 million according to the county property appraiser.
However, if the building is finished, the property would be taxed on the additional value, which could be over $60 million, Byrne claims. And that’s not including the costs of upkeep each year.
As a result, if there’s not enough demand to make the building profitable, it could be a cheaper option to slow down construction and stall the tower’s completion.
“If you just look at the vacancy rates in the area, I mean, I know that I used to rent office spaces just about a mile from there. And demand really dried up, and there was a lot of empty spaces in that complex, which was at the (State Road) 434/I-4 area. There’s several complexes over there owned by a company called Emerson, and then Emerson actually owns a lot of the office space over by the Majesty Building... And Emerson just has a ton of vacancies, and any commercial real estate as a whole. I mean, it’s nationwide, right? The pandemic changed a lot of things, as well, and made it even more difficult than it was.”
Jason Byrne
Regardless of the theory, there’s no direct evidence that SuperChannel is purposefully delaying construction.
Instead, SuperChannel told News 6 that it would “have more news later this year,” though the nonprofit didn’t clarify what that news entails or when it will be released.
In the meantime, you can check out the full history of the building by heading to Byrne’s blog here.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: