MaXxlife

Lake Mary and Heathrow do share the 32746 zip code.

Sentinel Editorial : More Than A Train

They have started the Demo on Skull Kingdom to make way for the Universal/I Drive workers 333-unit apartment complex. The only info I've seen is that the new building will be four (whopping) stories and will have a Camden like wood-frame. The apartments will wrap around a parking garage to save real estate and is being developed by Broad Street Partners. Rents will range from $850 to $1,200 a month.

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Build them downtown, build them green, leading the charge in money saving energy concervation and make the final votes. It's crunch time, don't let some money hungry hotelier get in the way of our community venues.

If Magic pony up, arena deal could get done

Lake Mary has been chosen as the 4th best place to live by CNN Money/Money Magazine. I got to give it to the city for courting some big names in the business world, that has really helped put them in the spot light. Best of the South Population: 13,200 Typical single-family home: $325,000 Estimated property taxes: $5,200 Pros: Big-economy jobs, small-town feel, no income tax Cons: Florida summers, Florida hurricanes Charlotte Smith-Wilkes used to commute an hour and 20 minutes to work each way when she lived in Miami. Now that the insurance executive lives in Lake Mary, the trip takes her four minutes flat. "We were looking for a calmer place to live, a place to raise children," says Smith-Wilkes, 48. She and her husband arrived 10 years ago and now have two daughters. "You get really spoiled," she says, "because everything is so close." Less than a decade ago, "everything" might have referred to Orlando or Disney World, which are 30 minutes away, or to Daytona Beach, reachable in 45. But growth has brought Lake Mary residents plenty of shopping, restaurants and events in their own backyard. There are lakes for boating and fishing, and the Timacuan Golf Course lies in the center of town. The downtown is a work in progress, but plans are moving ahead to create multiuse plazas that incorporate retail, office and residential space. Recreation is one thing, but jobs keep Lake Mary humming. On weekdays the population rockets from less than 14,000 to more than 35,000 as commuters arrive. AAA and Ruth's Chris Steak House keep their headquarters here, while others, like the Hartford and AT&T, maintain a large presence in the area's office parks. All of the development has pushed housing prices higher, but a four-bedroom, three-bath house can still be had for $300,000. Of course, there's always the weather to worry about. In 2004 the town spent more than $2 million cleaning up after hurricanes. Three years later, though, the streets are once again lined with palms and flowering crape myrtles, and residents are more than willing to risk a storm for the town's amenities. "We're away from the tourists, we're close to the beach, and there are really good schools," says Tracy Paone, 39, a stay-at-home mom who lives here with her husband and two children. "To me, it's just right." Best Places to Live

Goodbye unsightful fountain pipes! Thanks for the pics.

From www.bizjournals.com Where the best markets are to grow a small business Orlando is the clear choice for first place. It's the only market that makes the national top 10 in three key categories: small businesses per 100,000 residents, growth in small businesses since 2000, and five-year population growth. Subpar pay levels are Orlando's only real drawback. Orlando Small-business stats (rank in study) Number of small businesses: 54,539 (25) Change in small businesses (2000-05): 25.1% (2) Small businesses per 100,000 residents: 2,821 (9) Small-business vitality score: 15.40 points Other stats (rank in study) Population: 1,933,255 (28) Change in population (2000-05): 17.6% (6) Number of all businesses: 55,996 (25) Private-sector employment: 902,628 (24) Total private-sector payroll: $30.65 billion (29) Annual pay per private-sector worker: $34,000 (58) Business counts for the most recent year available, 2005, were released in June 2007. Article

Congrats on your new iPhone! I work for AT&T and plan to purchase one for myself, hopefully today!

Maybe they can hire Steve Jobs as a consultant. Wait maybe that's not such a good idea, we may end up with the iOPAC.

Harry Potter coming to Orlando's Universal Studios AKA Huge for Universal!! Universal Orlando has secured rights to the phenomenally successful Harry Potter stories and will build a themed area of rides, shops and restaurants called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Islands of Adventure. Universal, author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Studios, which makes the Harry Potter movies, are making a worldwide announcement of the deal today. Universal expects to break ground late this summer and have "Wizarding World" open by late 2009. Article

Good too know! Thanks

Club Paris is first to get the Kuhn boot.. Article/Video

Vote moves venue plans along

Similarly, there is no true design or rendering of the new arena to date either. The one photo that has been used by the Sentinel for it's commentary says "artist's rendering shows a concept that is being used as inspiration for a design of an arena in downtown Orlando". Any info if this "inspirational concept" actualy resembles what we will actually be getting?

Just noticed the business 2.0 article above by corpkid. Good new non the less.

CNN's most recent Business 2.0 Magazine rates Orlando as the #1 market in the country too find the best & hottest jobs! Nice job to all those involved with making this happen!!! Business 2.0

Looks like we might have some tentative dates for construction of the three venues..from the sentinel Arena construction, planned for 9 acres in Parramore, would begin by March 1, 2008, and be completed by Sept. 1, 2010. The Citrus Bowl would begin its renovation in 2009 and be completed by Nov. 1, 2011, with work stopping each winter to accommodate bowl games. The arts center would take longest to build; construction would start in 2009 and take nearly three years.

OPAC Donation video from Disney's Public affairs website

Disney's OPAC Donation (Article/Video)

Orlando means business with overseas travelers Beth Kassab {sodEmoji.|} Sentinel Staff Writer Posted April 16, 2007 There's a new VIP in this tourist town who has little to do with Walt Disney World or T-shirt shops: the overseas business traveler. Passengers hopping flights at Orlando International Airport with business instead of pleasure on their minds are behind the airport's latest strategy to woo new nonstop international routes. According to data from Orbitz for Business, corporate overseas travel bookings in and out of Orlando each increased by more than 150 percent from 2005 to 2006. "Orlando continues to be one of our fastest growing business-travel markets," said Orbitz spokesman Jim Cohn. Article

This is a huge oppurtunity..I hope it is taken full advantage off!

Man you can see a ton from the top of the Plaza! I love the way central florida and DT look from that perspective. I'd like to see some interior shots of some of the offices in the Plaza when they're done (pre and post IKEA ) .