Metro Orlando Headlines

[bic 74]

Taking a cue from the Miami forum (ok, blatantly ripping off) I'm starting this thread so we have a place to post random news articles that don't really fit in any other topic. Rather than not posting the article at all or making a billion new threads each time an interesting article comes out, everybody can just post it here. I'll start off by posting a couple...

EDIT: Apparently the forum rules have changed and have further reduced the length of articles that can be quoted. "Articles" I post on here will now be limited to the headline, the first sentence, and a link to where you can read it in its entirety.

Edited August 1, 2005 by bic

[bic 74]

Port's cruise industry steers business all over

New study counts 54,000 jobs, economic impact of $2.3 yearly.

Chris Kauffmann

Staff Writer

Port Canaveral's ship has come in -- the economic cruise ship that is -- and that means a lot of business for all of Central Florida.

Read More - Orlando Business Journal

Edited August 1, 2005 by bic

[bic 74]

Has Orlando home market reached peak?

Noelle C. Haner

Senior Staff Writer

ORLANDO -- Central Florida's residential real estate market could use a good dose of Haldol. That's because the once-scorching market appears to have lapsed into a schizophrenic state, which some believe may bring the market back into balance.

Read More - Orlando Business Journal

Edited August 1, 2005 by bic

[retorsky 0]

Deleted

Edited August 1, 2005 by metroboi

[JRS1 0]

I've been following Port Canaveral's growth since 1998 and its staggering.

VOLUSIA COUNTY: The are spending $$$ in their transportation budget on a preliminary study to construct an east-west connector from 417 in Sanford to I-95 near New Smyrna or Edgewater.

Also included is $$ towards the construction of Commuter Rail stations.

sorry, no article to post.

[JRS1 0]

Deleted

Edited August 1, 2005 by metroboi

[depechecureguyorl 1]

Rep. John Mica kills planned I-4 toll lanes bill

State must find another way to fix clogged freeway[

The sounds of singing and rejoicing are heard throughout Central Florida!!! 3 Cheers for JOHN MICA!

No Toll Lanes on I-4

Edited August 1, 2005 by depechecureguyorl

[prahaboheme 394]

Now they can come up with a real plan to solve congestion.

[sunshine 160]

Gosh, that's a good news.

[GRS328 9]

  Now they can come up with a real plan to solve congestion.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's exactly what I thought! Mica's forcing the local gov's hand(s), which is great... although sad it had to come to such tactics.

[GRS328 9]

Growing concern

Planning experts have predicted a bleak future for Central Florida. At our current rate and methods of development, we will pave over most of the available land by 2050. Is it too late to stop the sprawl?

By Linda Chapin | Special to the Sentinel

Posted July 31, 2005

Across the Central Florida region, citizens are telling us that they are uneasy about growth and development that seem to be transforming our landscape with no plan in place to manage it. As subdivisions and strip malls replace orange groves and cattle pastures, there are increasing concerns about the direction we are taking.

Central FL growth

(UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, DEPARTMENT OF CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING)

[bic 74]

For those who won't click on the link to the full article above, the right most graphic that says "2050: If We Follow Research Proposal" is showing "development managed by using light rail and other transit, building with higher densities and buying critical open space." That's a pretty dramatic change...

[bic 74]

Orlando Performing Arts Center relocates office

The nonprofit Orlando Performing Arts Center has relocated to new offices in downtown Orlando at 445 S. Orange Ave., across from Orlando City Hall.

Read More - Orlando Business Journal

Summary: Basically Orlando Performing Arts Center, Inc. (OPAC) has relocated their offices to the CNL building across from Orlando City Hall as part of its campaign to show commitment to downtown revitalization. The office space was donated by the city and CNL Dickenson, Ltd.

( moved to this thread)

[monsoon 0]

I have reopened this thread based on a couple of requests. Read the forum rules before you post in this thread. I have pinned a link at the top of the Orlando section.

[Hisma 0]

thx

we'll be sure to follow the rules

[bic 74]

Why the rush?

Our position: It's premature for Orange to bless controversial growth policies today.

Posted August 2, 2005

It comes as little surprise that an advisory committee will give Orange County's "pay-as-you-go" growth policies a clean bill of health today.

Read More - Orlando Sentinel

[bic 74]

Orlando-area roads among nation's most deadly

In 2003, metro Orlando had a rate of 17.6 traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents, a survey finds. Experts say simple and cheap fixes can alleviate deadly problems on urban roads.

By Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted August 3, 2005

There's more bad news for folks who drive in Central Florida: Orlando roads again are being tagged as some of the deadliest in the nation.

Read More - Orlando Sentinel

Edited August 4, 2005 by bic

[bic 74]

Bill ladles cash into local road projects

By Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted August 4, 2005

Drivers are going to get some relief on Sand Lake Road and the southern entrance to Orlando International Airport from the new federal highway bill approved by Congress last week.

Read More - Orlando Sentinel

[bic 74]

Chance to speak up

Our position: The region's explosive growth is something that deserves lots of public input.

Posted August 12, 2005

They're coming. No question about that. In a short few decades, an astonishing 7.2 million people are expected to call Central Florida home -- more than double the number of folks who live here now.

Read More - Orlando Sentinel

[bic 74]

Orlando's home prices 4th hottest in nation

Jack Snyder | Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted August 16, 2005

Link to Orlando Sentinel Article

In Brief

Orlando was the nation's 4th hottest housing market in the U.S. during the 2nd quarter of 2005. Home values in metro Orlando rose to $232,200, up 36.5% from $170,100 during the April-June period of last year.

Top 10 Hottest U.S. Markets During the 2nd Quarter

1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, 47.0%

2. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, 45.2%

3. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, 40.0%

4. Orlando, 36.5%

5. Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, 34.3%

6. Reno-Sparks, Nev., 32.1%

7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, 31.7%

8. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, 31.2%

9. Durham, N.C., 30.9%

10. Tucson, Ariz., 30.0%

[bic 74]

OIA tops state in nonstop domestic destinations

Link to Orlando Business Journal Article

In Brief

Orlando International Airport now serves more nonstop domestic destinations than any other airport in Florida, with 88. It is now the 13th-busiest airport in the U.S. for scheduled direct nonstop destinations, ahead of Newark, St. Louis, and Washington Dulles.

[JRS1 0]

MCO is impressive. They still manage to maintain almost 32 million passengers per year in a recession-sensitive market. Vegas's McCarran was not affected by 9/11 much at all vs. MCO which lost 4-5 million passengers in 2001/2002.

[bic 74]

Ruth's Chris corporate relocates to Orlando

Link to Orlando Business Journal Article

Summary

In an unusual event, Ruth's Chris corporate headquarters has been forced to temporarily relocate to Orlando because the original headquarters located in Metarie, LA has been so badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

[bic 74]

While the article above may seem like a trivial bit of news, I find it very interesting because it shows that corporations have confidence in Orlando. This is further strengthened by the announcement that FEMA is making Orlando its headquarters for its massive Katrina rescue operations. With the destruction in New Orleans fresh in peoples' minds, businesses and homeowners may think twice about setting up shop along Florida's coast. I think we could start seeing several corporations who wish to have a presence in Florida choose Orlando and other inland cities to try and mitigate the effects of being struck by a strong storm.

[UPSDAN 17]

A few things of note from this weeks OBJ:

-Ron Jons will begin construction this fall on a 100,000 sq ft surf park at Festival Bay. Financing has been secured and it will be done in summer 2006.

-Ripley's is looking to expand locally. One of the expansion ideas is an aquarium. Something that would be smaller then Sea World but larger then Epcot's Living Seas. They mentioned something on the size of Baltimore's National Aquarium. This would be awesone somewhere downtown, maybe over by the science center...