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

[spenser1058]

SpaceX gets $50 million contract from NASA to launch space telescopes from KSC:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-spacex-telescopes-contract-20190709-nivhua5rkvg7lm6lutipx4j6za-story.html

From the Sentinel 

“To Infinity and Beyond!”

[spenser1058]

Halifax Humane Society completes major renovation of facilities including a dog park and retail options:

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/renovated-hhs-building-is-doggone-beautiful/article_7614ca9c-9c09-11e9-a1e2-7f6a36fb5e64.html

From Hometown News

It’s on LPGA Blvd in Daytona.

[spenser1058]

Daytona Mall at Nova Road and ISB is asking to extend potential uses and possibly add buildings.

The moribund mall, once the home of Volusia’s only Montgomery Ward, has been sliding for years. A redo would definitely help.

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/business/volusia-business-news-singing-those-big-empty-space-blues/article_1c7ce12e-a418-11e9-b665-4fdc4f33bb27.html

From Hometown News 

[jrs2]

6 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Daytona Mall at Nova Road and ISB is asking to extend potential uses and possibly add buildings.

The moribund mall, once the home of Volusia’s only Montgomery Ward, has been sliding for years. A redo would definitely help.

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/business/volusia-business-news-singing-those-big-empty-space-blues/article_1c7ce12e-a418-11e9-b665-4fdc4f33bb27.html

From Hometown News 

Burlington Coat Factory did move, but within a month, they replaced them with another business.  I can't remember the name; it's logo was black and gold.

Boy, Tomoka Town Center really cannibalized 3 different shopping centers by luring their tenants- that HD Plaza mentioned in the article- they took about 4-5 stores, they took BCF, and Barnes & Noble from the Best Buy Plaza.  There may have been even more...  There are:  Sams Club.  Sams on Beville Rd will close; they new Sams  at TTC won't be Daytona's second one.

[spenser1058]

Controversial Edgewater marina project to move forward:

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/edgewater-marina-rezoning-approved-with---vote/article_d6bd9c74-a191-11e9-b84b-5b6e714d722c.html

From Hometown News

[spenser1058]

The latest on Amazon’s delivery station under construction on Mason Avenue in Daytona:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190716/daytonas-amazon-last-mile-delivery-station-nears-finish-line?template=ampart

From the News-Journal 

[jrs2]

5 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

The latest on Amazon’s delivery station under construction on Mason Avenue in Daytona:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190716/daytonas-amazon-last-mile-delivery-station-nears-finish-line?template=ampart

From the News-Journal 

they also mention how the GC built the 400,000sqft B.Braun distribution center on Clyde Morris last year...  also, this Amazon center may have future expansion plans.

[spenser1058]

Irish tech communications firm to lease space at ERAU, research complex:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190720/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-volusia-county-aim-to-land-piece-of-growing-space-industry

From the News-Journal

It’s possible to wonder if Daytona’s space-related facilities, ummm, take off, whether the new residents will be so sanguine about neglecting Midtown, Daytona and the Beachside or whether the new residents will finally break the hold the Old Guard has on the city. Frankly, the aerospace and engineering communities in Brevard haven’t done much to change that area so maybe not. Stay tuned...

[spenser1058]

Oh my - I seem to be in league with the Sons of the Beach in questioning the chicanery of Daytona’s local government and its local overlords:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/opinion/20190721/daytona-beach-issues-should-bring-changes--letters?template=ampart

Just call me Bubba!

From the News-Journal 

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by spenser1058

[AmIReal]

16 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Oh my - I seem to be in the league with the Sons of the Beach in questioning the chicanery of Daytona’s local government and its local overlords:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/opinion/20190721/daytona-beach-issues-should-bring-changes--letters?template=ampart

Just call me Bubba!

From the News-Journal 

 

Mount Dora seems to be taking pointers from Daytona Beach.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-op-lauren-ritchie-mount-dora-lawyers-20190722-a6hjvsmc25f6fllsdzpcff75tu-story.html

 

[spenser1058]

3 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

Mount Dora seems to be taking pointers from Daytona Beach.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-op-lauren-ritchie-mount-dora-lawyers-20190722-a6hjvsmc25f6fllsdzpcff75tu-story.html

 

I saw that - I’m waiting for the rest of the story. I’d love to have Lauren take on some of the crazies in Daytona and the VCC - she’s amazing.

[spenser1058]

Satellite manufacturing, ummm, launches on the Space Coast:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-oneweb-factory-opening-20190722-vyru4f766bcqhklvrcpinc7fd4-story.html

From the Sentinel 

[AmIReal]

7 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

I saw that - I’m waiting for the rest of the story. I’d love to have Lauren take on some of the crazies in Daytona and the VCC - she’s amazing.

Lauren Ritchie, love her or not, you gotta respect her. Fortunately, DBNJ does have some pretty good reporters willing to dig in and go against the powers. They don't have her chops, but they do a decent job of reporting. Now, if only Orlando had someone like that...

[spenser1058]

12 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

Lauren Ritchie, love her or not, you gotta respect her. Fortunately, DBNJ does have some pretty good reporters willing to dig in and go against the powers. They don't have her chops, but they do a decent job of reporting. Now, if only Orlando had someone like that...

Scott Maxwell has the ability but he will only take issues up to a certain point and then seems to step back into a liaison role to the community for the Sentinel (it probably also reflects his establishment upbringing and being with the in crowd at UNC during his college days).

The fact that Lauren, arguably the most hard-hitting reporter/columnist the Sentinel has these days, along with the editorial page’s drift back to the right, makes me believe that the Lake County retirees still reading the dead tree version constitute the true cash cow for the paper rather than those of us living in the town on the masthead.

[jrs2]

20 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Oh my - I seem to be in the league with the Sons of the Beach in questioning the chicanery of Daytona’s local government and its local overlords:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/opinion/20190721/daytona-beach-issues-should-bring-changes--letters?template=ampart

Just call me Bubba!

From the News-Journal 

 

for a second thee, I thought you were talking about Notch Johnson, Mayor Anita Massengil and BJ Cummings.

[HankStrong]

I didn't click the link, so that's what I assumed.  Sad it isn't true.

[jrs2]

28 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

I didn't click the link, so that's what I assumed.  Sad it isn't true.

great show, great writing...Howard is a comedic machine

[AmIReal]

Ok, so some people like to talk smack about Daytona (cough, Spenser, cough) and much of it is deserved. However, this is good news.

The main drag in Downtown, Beach Street, is being reduced to 2 lanes and sidewalks are being widened for pedestrians and sidewalk seating. Along with enlarging and renovating Riverside Park, added parking, shade trees and rebuilding of the old arches at the entrance this should be pretty sweet when done... let's hope they don't screw this up.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190724/daytonas-beach-street-to-be-transformed

 

[spenser1058]

4 hours ago, AmIReal said:

Ok, so some people like to talk smack about Daytona (cough, Spenser, cough) and much of it is deserved. However, this is good news.

The main drag in Downtown, Beach Street, is being reduced to 2 lanes and sidewalks are being widened for pedestrians and sidewalk seating. Along with enlarging and renovating Riverside Park, added parking, shade trees and rebuilding of the old arches at the entrance this should be pretty sweet when done... let's hope they don't screw this up.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190724/daytonas-beach-street-to-be-transformed

 

First of all, it’s a great idea - I look forward to how it turns out. If only someone had thought about this with the A1A redo (not to mention the Seabreeze bridge disaster- the problems with the Silver Beach bridge are well-documented in the article).

It’s interesting to note, however, just how little trust there is in the city government. (Remember that I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum from the tea party crowd - my default position, especially with local government, is to assume things will be OK - except of course in Daytona after 30+ years of screwups).

When downtown Orlando was being reinvented in the early ‘80’s, there was of course grumbling, but there was always a sense of “we’re in this together”. 

It’s clear city government has got work to do before the folks doing the work at the grass-roots level ever trust the suits again.

Edited July 24, 2019 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

We knew Kroger was building a new facility in Lake County (Groveland) and the assumption was that Hank couldn’t look forward to Krogering - it was going to serve Lucky's Market (in which Kroger is an investor).

It turns out we were wrong - Hank WILL be able to go Krogering in the next two years - he’ll just need to do so online.

The new building will be a fulfillment center with state of the art robotics that will handle ecommerce orders for the chain from the region.

Publix once pushed Kroger out of the Florida market and now they’re back - you just need to log in to shop.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/lake/os-lk-kroger-ocado-groundbreaking-20190724-y2jgxrdowzfgrpshf2fy32pqve-story.html

From the Sentinel 

[HankStrong]

For the best of everything!

[spenser1058]

13 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

For the best of everything!

Including the Price!

[codypet]

Can we use our Kroger rewards cards?!?! When I lived in Raleigh I loved my Kroger.  They acquired Harris Teeter and the last time I went back up there they (Kroger Brand) had quietly left the Raleigh market (incidentally Publix was beginning to enter the market and Wegmans was rumored to be coming in too).  It's interesting that Kroger would decide to get into Publix's home turf with this.  Especially with Safeway/Albertsons being out of the market and Winn-Dixie hanging on by a thread.

[spenser1058]

32 minutes ago, codypet said:

Can we use our Kroger rewards cards?!?! When I lived in Raleigh I loved my Kroger.  They acquired Harris Teeter and the last time I went back up there they (Kroger Brand) had quietly left the Raleigh market (incidentally Publix was beginning to enter the market and Wegmans was rumored to be coming in too).  It's interesting that Kroger would decide to get into Publix's home turf with this.  Especially with Safeway/Albertsons being out of the market and Winn-Dixie hanging on by a thread.

Hank’s just excited because he’ll be able to get Kroger UnicornnSparkle ice cream without going all the way to Atlanta anymore!

It’s kind of interesting how NC ( and to a lesser extent, VA) has become ground zero in the grocery wars. I’d love to know how it came to be. 

[HankStrong]

Facts.  I can't deny them.