A Deadly Orlando Attraction Receives a Stop Work Order and Code Violations
The Sloth World Orlando situation picked up another major development this week, and the direction this story keeps moving in is not good for the operation behind it. Orange County officials inspected the International Drive warehouse connected to Sloth World and found the building in violation of code requirements, issuing a stop-work order that effectively halts all activity at the facility until the violations are corrected and the county formally authorizes it to resume. For an attraction already dealing with an expired FWC permit, 31 documented sloth deaths, active political pressure from a Florida state representative, and ongoing inquiries from federal agencies, a county stop-work order is a significant additional layer of official enforcement that makes the path forward increasingly unclear.
What Orange County Found
According to FOX 35 Orlando, county officials found that the warehouse at 7547 International Drive lacked the required permits to house animals and lacked proper occupancy approvals for its intended use. A stop-work order was issued as a result. Under Orange County building and code enforcement practices, a stop-work order means all work or use covered by the order must immediately cease until violations are corrected and the county clears the facility to resume activity. This is the same warehouse previously identified in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission inspection report as the facility used to receive and acclimate imported sloths before transferring them to the planned Sloth World location at 6582 International Drive.
The Full Context of This Story
Sloth World first drew widespread attention after investigative reporting surfaced a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report documenting the deaths of 31 sloths connected to the operation between December 2024 and February 2025. According to statements in that report, owner Peter Bandre told inspectors that 21 sloths from Guyana died after arriving at a warehouse lacking water and electricity, with space heaters powered from a separate building that failed during colder weather. Ten sloths from Peru arrived later in poor condition, with two dead on arrival and eight dying subsequently.
Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani went public about the situation, confirming she contacted the FWC, calling the lack of criminal charges unacceptable, and revealing that Sloth World holds an expired permit that she argued should remain expired. She also confirmed that the attraction was still in possession of sloths despite the expired permit and said she would reach out to federal agencies. She surfaced a significant regulatory gap in the process, noting that FWC permits do not require notification when an animal dies, meaning the deaths would not have come to regulators’ attention without citizen reporting.
I am appalled to hear about the 31 sloths who died under the “care” of the not yet opened Sloth World in Orlando.
— Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@RepMaxwellFrost) April 23, 2026
These sloths — naturally solitary animals — were put in the worst conditions possible. They were taken from their natural habitats to a packed warehouse that wasn’t…
Where Things Stand Now For Orlando Attraction
Following the wave of negative coverage, Sloth World’s website was reduced to a placeholder page. All linked social media accounts appeared blank or inactive. The attraction has not responded to media inquiries, and no updated opening timeline or public statement has been issued following the county enforcement action. The facility sits on International Drive, surrounded by Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld, one of the most visible and heavily trafficked tourist corridors.
The address itself has a troubled history. It was previously associated with a planned animal attraction called Cool Zoo that also never opened. Making Sloth World the second consecutive failed attempt to open an animal-based attraction at that location.
The combination of 31 animal deaths, an expired state permit, active political pressure from a state representative, federal agency inquiries, and now a county stop-work order for code violations creates a situation that is difficult to see resolving quickly or easily. The attraction has never opened. The problems connected to it keep multiplying. And every new enforcement action raises the same question that has hung over this story since the beginning: at what point does someone with the authority to permanently close this operation use it?
