A multi-million dollar construction project that could bring 20,000 high-paying jobs to Osceola County broke ground Thursday. That was the first step on the road to building the new Photonics Manufacturing Institute.

For years, the University of Central Florida has looked for the right place for their unique Sensor research and manufacturing facility. Recently they decided to move to Osceola County, and that move brings with it an estimated multi-billion dollar enterprise.

“Our people have been in the Tourism industry and the back up to America’s number one tourist destination. We need diversity, this gives us that diversity,” said Osceola County Commissioner, Frank Attkisson.

UCF’s research and development team tell me, sensors — like the ones you have in your phone that ‘sense’ which way is the right side up — are the future. They say the new facility will employ around 20,000 people in Central Florida. They also said the wages could range from $40,000 into six figures.

“Over the next decade, it could be 20,000 narrowly defined advanced manufacturing jobs and over 80,000 jobs overall,” say the President of Orlando Economic Development Rick Weddle.

Although we were told they hope to have the manufacturing institute open sometime in 2016, they also explained the research activities may be depend on UCF’s ability to compete for a $200 million federal grant.

For now though, the project is moving forward.