Cameron Academy adds five Orlando campuses in Florida expansion

Cameron Academy of Real Estate opened five Greater Orlando campuses and grew to 15 Florida sites, deepening ties with local brokerages, title agencies and real estate firms. The expansion extends the Orlando-based school’s reach in a state with more than 357,000 active licensees and underscores its push to keep training tied to working brokerage floors.

Why it matters: - Cameron Academy now has its largest footprint in Florida, with 15 campuses statewide after adding five in Greater Orlando. - The expansion strengthens the school’s role in a market with 357,638 active real estate licensees and 94,473 inactive licensees, according to the state’s annual report. - The move also extends free and low-cost access to licensing coursework for Florida students who are 15 to 17, plus adults rebuilding after domestic violence or incarceration.

What happened: - Cameron Academy of Real Estate opened campuses in Dr. Phillips, Hunters Creek, Waterford Lakes, Downtown Kissimmee and Clermont. - The Orlando-based school has operated since 2003 and says the new rooms are tied to firms that asked for a campus. - The school’s Greater Orlando locations include Market Connect Realty, Red Door Title and The Firm RE in Orlando, RE/MAX Premier Properties in Kissimmee, and RE/MAX Heritage - A Bardell Real Estate Company in Clermont.

The details: - Cameron Academy said the Orlando classrooms were chosen to place students near active brokerage floors. - Michael Cameron Sidawi, the school’s owner and director since January 2013, said the company took time to expand in its home market. - RE/MAX Premier Properties in Kissimmee is led by broker-owner Daisy Lopez-Cid, a former national president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and a RE/MAX Hall of Fame member. - Lopez-Cid has been on the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals national board since 2013 and was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Osceola County Association of REALTORS for Hurricane Maria relief work. - The Firm RE was founded in 2019 by broker Amer Lababidi, who has been recognized among Orlando’s top 300 Realtors and named to a Top 35 Under 35 list. - Market Connect Realty is a boutique Dr. Phillips brokerage led by managing broker Ryan Barnett. - Red Door Title is a licensed Florida title agency with offices in Waterford Lakes, South Tampa, St. Cloud and Inverness. - RE/MAX Heritage - A Bardell Real Estate Company was founded in 1989 and was the first real estate brokerage in the Four Corners area. - Broker-owner Steve Silcock moved to Florida from Yorkshire, England in 2004, holds an M.B.A. from Sheffield Business School, and served as president of the East Polk County Association of REALTORS in 2021. - The Four Corners firm specializes in vacation and second homes near Disney and works with overseas buyers. - Cameron Academy says it has taught more than 100,000 students through 800-plus licensing and continuing education courses. - The school says those courses are offered in all 50 states through its partner network. - Cameron Academy stayed open through the 2008 housing crisis and says it is the oldest independently owned real estate school in Florida. - The academy says it was among the first schools in the country to use computerized real estate testing, launched the first mobile exam-prep app of its kind in the U.S. in 2013 and offered livestreamed classes years before remote learning became standard. - Sidawi said the school’s new mobile app is being rebuilt, but no release date has been set. - The school says it has a 5-star average across more than 3,000 reviews and has published more than 150 filmed student testimonials. - Cameron Academy says it teaches from 15 Florida campuses across roughly 380 miles from Key Largo to Palm Coast and employed 35 people. - The school also says it hired 18 instructors statewide this year.

Between the lines: - The expansion reflects a broader strategy built on exclusive education partnerships rather than traditional standalone growth. - Sidawi said the school’s teaching method, built around song, rhythm, phrasing and story, was developed in Central Florida and later adopted into industry course materials. - The school’s longstanding local presence appears to be a selling point with brokerages that want on-site training connected to their own offices. - Cameron Academy’s decision to keep offering free seats to certain students suggests the company is using access and community ties as part of its competitive edge.

What's next: - Cameron Academy says it is still growing through exclusive education partnerships and is open to conversations with brokerages, title agencies and law firms in Florida and beyond. - The school says its rebuilt mobile exam-prep app does not have a launch date yet. - Sidawi said the school will continue to expand from its Orlando base while keeping classes close to working real estate offices.

The bottom line: - Cameron Academy is turning its long Orlando runway into statewide scale, and the new campuses show how tightly linked real estate education can be to local brokerage networks.