An iconic Polk County attraction closed its doors to the public on Sunday.
Fantasy of Flight has been in business for 18 years. Owner and creator Kermit Weeks said the decision came down to dollars and cents.
Fantasy of Flight started out as a pet project for Weeks, who owns the building and all the vintage planes inside. The building was originally only supposed to be a showroom for his planes, but it turned into a tourist attraction for thousands of people over the years.
Weeks said the business hasn't made money a single year since it opened nearly two decades ago.
"We’re halfway between Tampa and Orlando," he said. "We’re not a big destination yet, so everybody drives by. Everybody knows the name, everybody knows the place, but they don’t know what we are."
His creation is an air enthusiast's dream, with over 100 rare and vintage aircraft. And they're not only there for display, as Weeks flies many of them himself.
Unfortunately, he said, there was not a big enough market of aircraft enthusiasts to justify keeping the doors open to the public.
“We just haven't had enough traffic to pay the light bill," he said.
Weeks said the planes, which he owns, will stay put. He will continue to rent out the space for private events, like he always has.
The attraction employs 65 people, and about half of them are losing their jobs.
Customers who prepaid for a day after today or bought season passes to Fantasy of Flight will receive refunds through the company.
Weeks plans to transform the facility into a museum by the end of the year.