Universal Studios Florida’s famous Jaws attraction will  be closing for good at the start of next year

The news was first broken by “The Jaws Ride” on Twitter and Facebook. The site has always been quite reliable when it comes to news and information revolving around the attraction. Several people also commented on their status confirming this report. One comment stated that the news was confirmed in an employee meeting this morning and that official confirmation should be released around 11 AM EST today.

UPDATE: Universal Orlando has officially confirmed the closure on Facebook. Here’s their official statement:

Hey fans, we want you to be the first to know… JAWS! and the Amity area will officially close on January 2 to make room for an exciting, NEW, experience we’re planning for you.

We know you love JAWS! and we do too. It has been an amazing attraction and after terrorizing the waters of Amity here at Universal Orlando for 20 years, it’s a VERY important part of our history. So, we’ve got a couple things planned to ensure we always remember and honor it. We know it’s hard to say goodbye, but we can’t express how EXCITED we are about the new, innovative & amazing experience we’re going to be bringing you.

Though the news may come as a surprise to many, there have been rumors revolving around an expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter taking Jaws’ place for months now. Not only that, but rumors of the ride simply closing in general have been around for months, if not years.

Jaws was one of the final classic attraction left at Universal Studios Florida following the closures of several attractions such as Back to the Future and Kongfrontation. The attraction also had its own land in the park making this news even more interesting.

At this time, there is no official confirmation on what will replace the attraction, but stay tuned for more updates on the closure.

Discuss the closure here.