Orlando Extended Metro Developments (Volusia/Brevard/East Polk)

[AmIReal]

17 hours ago, Xander said:

Seriously? Isn't that a tad on the late side?

Not really. The pilings are already in place so they are stuck with the footprint unless they truly want to start from scratch.  But at this point they could reduce the height or upper floor orientation/ layout or pretty much any cosmetic item.  However, I think the stoppage is more about rushing the 1st tower to completion since they are behind schedule.

[spenser1058]

Hyatt and Cici Brown introduce their plans to restore Daytona’s Riverfront Park including an endowment for maintenance (something Daytona has sorely neglected across town for years).

Super Arbor Man will be thrilled there are plans for 80-100 large oak trees as well as a variety of other amenities.

This sounds amazing and a tip of the hat is in order to the Browns.

A couple of things I ‘d like to clarify:

• The riverfront seems to be unimpeded by condo towers as suggested in a N-J article a couple of weeks back. Let’s hope that’s right;

• There seem to be plans for offices in the park. How many and how much space will they occupy? This could be problematic;

• RS&H seem to be handling design of the structures. That’s scary - they’re one of the few firms in Florida that makes Baker Barrios look creative (see the Brick Bunker and the Copper Whopper in downtown Orlando).

While I have many questions, this has some great potential. I look forward to hearing more.

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/daytona-beach-s-riverfront-park-reimagined/article_75b06a42-6523-11e9-b542-830f40de0e0c.html

From Hometown News

One fascinating thing: uber-businessman, politician and leader of a premiere Daytona family, Hyatt Brown seems to be on the same page as Tales of the City’s matriarch, Mrs. Madrigal.

Anna Madrigal: “All of life is maintenance, for heaven’s sake...”

Hyatt Brown: “My whole thing...is all about maintenance, maintenance, maintenance...”

Hyatt Brown and Anna Madrigal - who knew!?!

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Well, it’s not exactly Hollywood East but we’ll take it: a new TV series, “The Right Stuff”, will be filming this fall along the Space Coast.

Those behind it include Leonardo DiCaprio *swoon*:

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2019/04/30/leo-dicaprio-right-stuff-tv-show/3621969002/

From Florida Today 

[spenser1058]

One of the hotels cheek by jowl with the Daytona Beach broadwalk,the Mayan Inn, has been purchased and plans a significant renovation.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190430/new-owners-buy-daytonas-mayan-inn-for-105m

From the News-Journal 

[spenser1058]

AXIOS takes a look at entrepreneurial growth along the Space Coast, with SpaceX and Blue Origin leading the way:

https://amp.axios.com/floridas-space-coast-sees-entrepreneurial-growth-cf0226a3-697d-4e00-bb37-ded23fd3feff.html

[spenser1058]

Legendary SE Volusia family starting a new operation in Edgewater. This will make the third boat-building operation in the city, adding to a steady stream of manufacturing jobs:

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/solace-will-make-waves-in-boat-building-industry/article_a159d4d8-6520-11e9-9a60-87739ccbe3c4.html

From Hometown News 

[spenser1058]

This article on construction getting underway on Brown & Brown’s new Daytona tower clearly shows what a difference locally-based firms make.

Suffice it to say we were unlikely to see anything like this in downtown Daytona otherwise. The same goes for the Brown family’s recommitment to Riverside Park.

Local backgrounds have also been important to us in downtown Orlando with Sun Bank Center, The First FA headquarters and Hughes Supply’s building in Parramore. 

It’s just a reminder that incentives to businesses are best used to help homegrown businesses thrive than to throw dollars at companies that could care less about the local community.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190504/word-on-street-brown-amp-brown-project-making-colossal-difference

From the News-Journal 

[spenser1058]

An interesting stat: Volusia’s TDT for the Daytona Beach area is up .01% while it’s up 61% for SE Volusia (NSB) and West Volusia (DeLand).

While Daytona of course is a much larger segment and the author suggests it is because of hotel closures, might it just be that dropping the ball on the Daytona beachside for decades has simply made it an unattractive destination?

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/business/volusia-business-news-are-we-just-not-as-pretty-as/article_fc627a9c-5f8f-11e9-aa03-633a3d5a2398.html

From Hometown News

Edited May 6, 2019 by spenser1058

[jrs2]

4 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

An interesting stat: Volusia’s TDT for the Daytona Beach area is up .01% while it’s up 61% for SE Volusia (NSB) and West Volusia (DeLand).

While Daytona of course is a much larger segment and the aurhor suggests it is because of hotel closures, might it just be that dropping the ball on the Daytona beachside for decades has simply made it an unattractive destination?

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/business/volusia-business-news-are-we-just-not-as-pretty-as/article_fc627a9c-5f8f-11e9-aa03-633a3d5a2398.html

From Hometown News

we shall see.  I'm waiting to see if Hard Rock attracts any neighbors.  DBS seems to have it's stuff together however.

I have noticed something else... Tower 2 of the Putin Project seems to have slowed down construction on it's base- but Tower 1 is getting more and more finished.  Maybe they are rethinking their buildout schedule to get Tower 1 up and running first.  Dunno.

[spenser1058]

7 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

we shall see.  I'm waiting to see if Hard Rock attracts any neighbors.  DBS seems to have it's stuff together however.

I have noticed something else... Tower 2 of the Putin Project seems to have slowed down construction on it's base- but Tower 1 is getting more and more finished.  Maybe they are rethinking their buildout schedule to get Tower 1 up and running first.  Dunno.

“Putin Project” - I like that. (Why am I thinking of Mar-a-Lago now?) 

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

“Putin Project” - I like that. (Why am I thinking of Mar-a-Lago now?) 

...it's just semantics... LOL.   or is it?...

[spenser1058]

A coal-fired plant jointly owned by Lakeland Electric and OUC in (Imperial!) Polk County is being decommissioned. 

Let’s take out Curtis Stanton next, please!

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/environment/os-ne-lakeland-orlando-coal-retirement-20190508-xbgo5ntz2zbjhcveqnwcdu6gwu-story.html?outputType=amp

From the Sentinel 

Edited May 8, 2019 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

At Port Canaveral, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony (second largest cruise ship in the world for the moment) made its first departure from its new home port and the Mariner will call Canaveral home again for the first time in almost a decade.

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2019/05/06/two-new-royal-caribbean-ships-including-second-largest-world-move-port-canaveral/1110280001/

From Florida Today

[spenser1058]

Florida is still in the running for Mike Pence’s Space Cadets (oops, Command), doggone it!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-space-command-update-20190509-kukhgglhnbc7hopxrcxhwwfmoe-story.html

From the Sentinel 

[JFW657]

2 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Florida is still in the running for Mike Pence’s Space Cadets (oops, Command), doggone it!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-space-command-update-20190509-kukhgglhnbc7hopxrcxhwwfmoe-story.html

From the Sentinel 

[jrs2]

On 5/8/2019 at 4:26 PM, spenser1058 said:

At Port Canaveral, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony (second largest cruise ship in the world for the moment) made its first departure from its new home port and the Mariner will call Canaveral home again for the first time in almost a decade.

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2019/05/06/two-new-royal-caribbean-ships-including-second-largest-world-move-port-canaveral/1110280001/

From Florida Today

This is good, among other reasons, because Harmony is newer than Oasis...

[jrs2]

12 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Florida is still in the running for Mike Pence’s Space Cadets (oops, Command), doggone it!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-space-command-update-20190509-kukhgglhnbc7hopxrcxhwwfmoe-story.html

From the Sentinel 

Not gonna get into any political mumbo jumbo, but the space command business is just a bunch of bs.  It's nothing more than a way to funnel money to NASA for what?  It's not Trump per se, it's just the establishment's plan to give money to them instead of to where the country needs it most.  That being said...if they're gonna waste our tax dollars, wasre them in F.L.A!

[orange87]

[spenser1058]

FDOT study underway which proposes a new I-95 interchange at Pioneer Trail in NSB.

The goal would be to reduce congestion along FL 44.

jrs2, do you know if there’s been widening of Pioneer Trail? I haven’t used it in several years but it used to be pretty narrow (it was I believe the original version of 44 going back to Model T days or something).

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/study-underway-for-i--interchange-at-pioneer-trail/article_40efd77e-7000-11e9-a913-47b4495bf79a.html

From Hometown News

[HankStrong]

I'm no JRS2, but looking at the google maps, it is an old aerial photo.  The photo does show that it is in the process of being widened.  The curve at Turnbull Bay Rd is being smoothed in the photo and is blatantly wider than the existing road.

It could be done now.

 

[jrs2]

On 5/12/2019 at 1:59 PM, spenser1058 said:

FDOT study underway which proposes a new I-95 interchange at Pioneer Trail in NSB.

The goal would be to reduce congestion along FL 44.

jrs2, do you know if there’s been widening of Pioneer Trail? I haven’t used it in several years but it used to be pretty narrow (it was I believe the original version of 44 going back to Model T days or something).

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/study-underway-for-i--interchange-at-pioneer-trail/article_40efd77e-7000-11e9-a913-47b4495bf79a.html

From Hometown News

believe it or not, the number of times I've been at the light at The Cabbage Patch, I have yet to go east from there to get to Pioneer Trail so I'm not sure...  but now I'm curious...

[spenser1058]

33 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

believe it or not, the number of times I've been at the light at The Cabbage Patch, I have yet to go east from there to get to Pioneer Trail so I'm not sure...  but now I'm curious...

Slaw rasslin’...tonight!

[jrs2]

One Daytona:

So, The Daytona hotel (Marriott label) has been open for a few weeks now; it looks like they finally opened the lobby drive up the past couple weeks.

Also, they started construction last month on the 3-story apartment community due east of the cinema.

Since last week, they started construction on a 4-story urban apartment building due east of the parking deck.  This is gonna look sharp.  Between the two communities they should end up with several hundred residents right there, and it will really help out the restaurants' viability.

Volusia Mall:

Metro Diner opened up two months ago- been very busy.

Bonefish Grille- opened up a couple of weeks ago and tripled the "busy" factor in that new corner of the mall property.

There's supposed to be a third signed tenant there, but so far not sure.

[spenser1058]

It seems Mike Pence is leaving Florida out in the cold on the Space Command:

Florida leaders say Air Force ‘misled’ them as to state’s chances to land Space Command HQ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-ne-space-command-no-florida-20190514-davh4jkumzcujfljnkqajzxtfu-story.html

From the Sentinel 

Hey, Colorado makes predictions about hurricanes without ever having had one so I guess it makes since to put your Space Cadets there without any background in space...

[JFW657]

I doubt this "Space Command" nonsense will survive for too many years anyway. Once a new administration gets in and Congress hopefully regains a modicum of sanity, they'll look at the cost/benefit ratio of having a new, separate branch of the military vs just letting the Air Force handle all space related military matters, and return things to the way they were.