Well, how about this -
By 1959 Walt Disney began searching for an Eastern USA location to mirror the success of Disneyland. He found the 'perfect site' in 1962 beginning what came to be known as the 'Palm Coast Project'. Ironically there was an old remnant of Dixie Highway made of red brick which was still driveable and kept perfectly intact as both an actual artery into the landward side of the park and for part of it later as the main "highway" of "Oz". Soon the area between St Augustine and Daytona is rapidly developing with need for a more 'adult' section evolving, espcially as retirees flock to the area in droves.
Having lost much of their investment in Cuba and with slot machines already legal in Florida, various Mob members and front businesses began to build ever-larger casinos from late 1963 onwards. With the completion of the Aladdin Tower and Bigtop (mirroring the newly finished Circus Circus in Las Vegas and partially owned by the same), by 1970 the state of Florida legalizes gambling in a controversial move as Tampa begins to attract attention as a haven for "independent" films. Before its overhaul and cleanup began in 1993 the Southern Cinematography Society was also known as Satan's Camera Studio while I-4 soon became Fast Track to Four Sins (Envy, Greed, Lust, Pride).
Today Orlando is compared to Macau and Las Vegas but with a flavor truly all its own, the infamous Casino Wars between the Cosa Nostra and Colombian cartels are over and the violence of the late 70s to early 90s much abated. While the Jacksonville-Melbourne axis accounts for 25% of Florida's tourist revenue on the family friendly beaches, the Ocala-Sebring-Naples triangle is approaching 40% while Gainesville fights to keep 'clean and reputable' while Greater Miami continues to grow at an astonishing rate as the US hub for Latin American, Southern European, and more recently Russian conglomerates looking for a US headquarters.