After months of rumors about delays and possible cancellation, Universal announced this morning that work is officially resuming on Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe theme park after nearly a year of the project being paused. Though work is expected to restart immediately, there will be a bit of a ramp-up period, as the extensive time away from this project will require some new hires and re-staffing.

The Universal's Epic Universe project will of course by huge for Florida's recovering economy as it will create more than 14,000 permanent jobs in addition to the thousands of jobs that will be created during its development. Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation released the following statement about the project restart:

“The restart of construction of Epic Universe is a terrific moment for our employees and for our theme park business in Florida. It is our single-largest investment in the state and represents our enthusiasm for the spectacular park and the economic opportunities it will generate.”

Image: Universal

When it opens, Epic Universe will feature a new theme park, an entertainment center, hotels, shops, restaurants and more all on a 750-acre site that nearly doubles Universal’s total available acreage in Central Florida. You can read more about this project here. Though we don't know an updated opening timetable yet, we do know that the project is likely facing at least a year delay, if not more.