What we know about the Magic Castle Inn

The Magic Castle Inn, which was featured in the Sean Baker 2017 movie “The Florida Project,” that highlighted the plight of quasi-homeless families living in hotels along U.S. Highway 192, is in the process of being sold.

Longtime owners Debbie Buxton and David Sarfati have sold to another group, who need the property empty to make improvements. So those who’ve lived there, some for years while they worked at the hotel, were told they needed to leave, in most cases, within 24-48 hours. That created a frenzied scene among old and new owners when they were all on site on Monday, with the new owners hauling industrial dumpsters on site. Some were later allowed to stay through the end of the week if needed.

Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry, whose district 1 includes the West 192 tourism corridor, said this week that groups like the Salvation Army and the Orlando Coalition for the Homeless had worked with the residents to find them new living space.

“Those who didn’t have a plan now have a plan and know what they’ll do next,” she said. “Some of them had to stay because they’ve worked with the hotel have arrangements.

“It was a case of different people getting told different things. The buyers came in with equipment, and everybody who didn’t know what was going on got upset. Things have calmed down (during the week).”

Choudhry said Osceola County’s Human Services staff will continue to be available to Magic Castle residents who still need to transition.

Buxton and her owners chose to sell before being able to embark on a plan to turn the hotel rooms into converted apartments. At a Osceola County Commission meeting in October 2021, when a county ordinance was put into place to set standards for such conversions, Buxton spoke, calling herself and the hotel the “reluctant landlords of hardworking tenants,” who use their hotel rooms as their more-than-short-term residences.

“These are people who need affordable housing but may be forced into homelessness,” she said.

The county standards establish a level of housing that the county called “not merely a dressed-up hotel room.” It would call for “standard multifamily residential living standards” that include full kitchens (sink, refrigerator, stove or oven) and their own electric and water meters. That ensures residents won’t lose utility service if the property manager fails to pay for services, which has happened in the past, forcing the county to evict reluctant residents who can’t afford a new place — but can’t stay in an existing one that lacks utility services.

But, there have been successful conversions on the 192 corridor. In 2013 the County partnered with The Transition House, who received state and federal grants, to retrofit the former Four Winds Motel and open Victory Village featuring unfurnished one, two and three-bedroom units. To move in, families were required to meet income and background qualifications.