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Seems a bit too secluded for people to feel safe, but if done right that would be a nice amenity for nearby residents. The added bonus of having a popular/active dog park is that it would also discourage vagrancy.

Yeah, the roofer took care of all of that amd fwd'd the docs. The roofing company tried to say their warranty exceeds Owens Corning even if OC would have rejected a claim. Still, I wanted the job fixed the right way... and requested the site manager supervise that crew the entire time -- none of them spoke English and didn't seem very experienced. Mind you, I've installed shingles when I was younger so I know basic things to look out for.

Thought this was interesting: https://bj105.com/nightlife/the-edge-nightclub-orlando-defunct/ I missed out on The Edge since I was still a kid back then, but I did go there when it turned into a country bar (8 Seconds). Saw 2 trucks having a tug of war in the parking lot I think even after the Edge went away, Orlando still retained a few techno/rave clubs because a friend of mine worked at a few clubs as a go-go dancer. I just remember her telling me all kinds of drug-infused tales... including a club that opened which served "oxygen shots". @prahabohemeThere were quite a few rave clubs that continued into the 2000's because I remember they always wound up in the news after being raided by the police for drugs/OD (aka Club Cyberzone). For a while, it was like wack-a-mole for the City where they would close down one club only for another to pop up and take it's place.

For sure, that's why I bought in downtown during my 20's because I liked the grunge factor of living downtown. I viewed WP as too stiff... granted during that time WP was a bit stagnant. But what's the point of having a Nashville or French Quarter scene if you might not survive it? I'm not against having a good time, but there needs to be a balance. We should not tolerate issues that erode the quality of life for residents and visitors. General lawlessness breeds an unsafe environment and causes a downward spiral due to a lack of enforcement. It's one thing to visit, because you get to leave it all behind when you return to the cocoon of your safe neighborhood. Meanwhile it's a completely different experience to deal with the ramifications of living in a free-for-all environment day in, day out with no support from the city. Since the security checkpoints and crackdowns have initiated, shootings have gone down drastically and I'm assuming people are better behaved and probably feel safer going downtown too. The city should take it even further and include roving patrols at Lake Eola and surrounding streets to handle the influx of people going downtown and take a more proactive law enforcement approach.

Sadly, from the stories I've heard, even if you switch companies you might eventually go through the same thing again. I've used Security First for 10+ years and will be paying $4,500+ on 1300 sq ft. Citizens came in cheaper, but they only offer 100k max liability coverage. Used the same brokerage for over 10 years and can barely get them to respond to calls/emails now that I have to change coverage. Not sure if it's because people are so overworked that certain details are being missed, or if it's because people just show up to get a paycheck and don't give a crap. Whatever the reason, I have come across very few businesses that truly take care of customers despite rave reviews online. Had my roof replaced a few years ago by a prominent roofing company in Orlando, and it was just one thing after another with them. I double checked their work after they finished and was left in utter shock at their poor workmanship. I have a little construction knowledge under my belt, otherwise their shoddy work would have gone unnoticed since the permit had already been signed off/closed by the City. What the roofer did would have voided the mfg warranty -- I checked with Owens Corning but the roofer said their personal warranty would cover the roof. Granted the roofing company came back and fixed the roof without any pushback, but that kind of workmanship should never have been an issue to begin with. I just feel like the days of really knowing the ins and outs of your craft, showing pride in your specialty and taking care of the customer have gone out the window. Loyalty doesn't seem to carry much weight either.

True. I remember when Winter Garden was experiencing a boom/revitalization as people began to move out of Orlando. More recently, Sanford has seen quite an increase in growth with higher end homes being constructed. Mt Dora too. I think his big draw was his stance on how to handle the pandemic -- especially when a lot of cities were shutting down and mandating vaccines. Since then, he started wading into a lot of culture wars which turned off potential supporters, myself included. But for the most part, FL already had desirable attributes that had nothing to do with Desantis... no snow, no state tax, homestead SOH cap, etc., all of which have always been a big draw to move to FL.

Is that 65k gross or net? I was surprised to come across some youtubers saying FL is no longer the affordable "paradise" that it once was. So yeah we're gaining a lot of new residents, but I wonder what the stats are for people who can no longer afford to tough it out, so that we can get a clearer picture of actual net population growth.

Oops, I was trying to restrain myself from going off on a tangent while starting to blend sentences... my wild animals comment was not about people who wanted to use the restroom, girls were usually polite, most guys and very few girls typically relieved themselves in the bushes around condos and Lake Eola. I was referring to entitled people (visitors, renters, and even some owners) acting like wild animals when you try to correct them when they tried to do whatever they want while on the property. I guess everyone is on edge and high strung, taking out our frustrations on each other. I just hate that our downtown in general seems like a free for all, while people seem more behaved in places like downtown Winter Park. Then again, I've never lived in downtown WP, so maybe a lot of crap goes down in that area that I don't know about!

My friend's condo at The Vue faces the EV spots on that side of Lake Eola and I visited frequently as well. I've seen people blatantly park in the space, read the signs and then call out to me while I was on the balcony asking if there is no parking in the EV space. They know, some are more willing to risk getting a ticket. Most people parking in those EV spots are well aware of it after they make the mistake of parking there. They get out of the car, read the sign, read the writing in green and I would say about 75% get back in the car and drive off in search of another spot. The other 25% feel entitled to free or convenient parking. They know what the space is for after checking out the charging station and signs before walking off without paying. Some would pull the car forward into the yellow part of the curb or pull into the adjacent Fifth-third bank parking lot and illegally park in the loading zone which creates a clusterfudge situation for delivery trucks who then have to park in traffic to make deliveries. On weekend nights there is a steady stream of people who try to U-Turn out of the bank's parking lot entrance bc they don't want to pay to use the bank's parking lot either. Metermaids ticket the EV parking space (they do not ticket the bank's loading zone area), and the issue is further exacerbated after metermaids go home for the day, during weekend evenings and especially during events due to limited enforcement. People even try to sneak into condo parking garages for free parking or sneak in to use restrooms. I really don't miss any of that, some people act like anything goes while downtown and behave like wild animals when you try to correct them. Paid parking cuts down on a lot of riff raff, sorry but free parking is not the way to go bc the bad apples ruin it for everyone. Most issues arise from people loitering indefinitely in the on-street parking spaces or while parking for free on private lots where there is no enforcement. Downtown residents, myself included, have been complaining about illegally parked cars for years and nothing really gets done bc the issue continued daily/weekly for years in certain hot spots.

Did a little bird happen to mention anything?

Ok it may be "old" for Orlando, but a 17 year old tower/building is still considered new, to me at least. If it were built maybe 70 years ago with terra cotta sewer pipes then I could kind of rationalize how there would be sewer problems lol. Sounds like this has been an ongoing issue, so mgmt has had plenty of time to call a commercial plumber in to diagnose the problem and have it addressed by the HOA. It is concerning to hear of this, something is not adding up. Repeated instances of sewage backups does not bode well for long-term quality tenants and it's not fair (or ethical) for tenants who invest money to open up a business in the commercial space (especially if the issue is not disclosed or permanently fixed by mgmt). I wonder if the cafe has any legal recourse.

How does such a new building have so many issues with the plumbing/sewer?? Sounds like issues go beyond a greasetrap cleanout. Seems bizarre that the Cafe had sewage backups when it's located underneath the Solaire unless the residential portion is also having problems? I saw on Bungalower the owners of the Le Gourmet Break now have to go back to France because of this situation because they here on an Investor Visa. That's messed up! https://bungalower.com/2023/05/08/french-cafe-in-downtown-orlando-est-ferme/

Sadly, it appears complications arising from that situation has also seemed to play a factor in Le Gourmet Break's closure: "It is with truly deep emotion that I announce you the closure of Le Gourmet Break. It has been an exact 10 years journey in Downtown Orlando. Getting to know every one of you and be honored to serve our French dishes along the years was a blessing. I sincerely want to thank each of our customers for the forever support especially during COVID episode. Unfortunately, due to non-compliance with its maintenance obligations, the building has jeopardized the goodwill of our restaurant on numerous occasions over the past 4 years. BECAUSE OF the non resolution of a major problem and lack of communication with the building management, we had to resign ourselves to close our establishment. I wish the best to all of you! You all will be missed and will forever stay in our minds!!!! Cheers !!!!" https://www.legourmetbreak.com/ Correct, Chase Plaza includes the North and South Tower Commercial Plaza. A unit owner at the Solaire once explained to me that the residential condo component is a separate entity from the commercial buildings. I used to think the commercial aspect of the complex was an income revenue stream for the residential condo, but no. So for example, the power to the common areas of the commercial towers could be shut off but it would not affect the individual commercial units (or any portion of the residential building). I used to think that was kind of an odd arrangement, but given Downtown Orlando's MO when it comes to mixed-use development and business longevity, it was probably best to separate any financial liability from the office and residential condos.

I knew it! I have a terrible memory, but I remember odd things and little details... Well if that's all you can say, then I won't pursue it further. All in good fun to lighten up the mood. Just wanted to say I was right lol

Years ago I considered buying there thinking HOA fees would be lower due to the lack of amenities. Glad I missed out on that fiasco. One of the newer owners created that site as a way to fight back against the board president and he has been talking about this on NextDoor as well. Based on what I've read, the board president seems like a real scumbag who took advantage of unsophisticated unit owners who didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Guess he wasn't expecting anyone to fight back, but their story gained traction on the news thanks to the new owner. The board president recently listed his units for sale as an assemblage of 28 units. Not sure if they were listed like that as a way to lessen the potential of them actually selling (due to the ridiculously high asking price), or if the intention is to screw over the regular unit owners one last time by replacing himself with another investor who might continue down his path (since the Jackson has 52 units, whomever buys that assemblage will have the majority vote). Based on the info being put out there, I'm sure potential buyers will avoid that place like the plague when they find out what lies beneath. And with the new condo reserve law coming into effect for the state of FL, if their reserves were not being fully funded that could lead to yet another financial hit. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/525-E-Jackson-St-UNIT-28-Orlando-FL-32801/2058379215_zpid/

I thought you lived downtown though, or did you move away? Yeah, the city does a horrible job of making sure sidewalk access is maintained properly. They respond to complaints so it seems they take on more of a reactive enforcement approach. Even the traffic lanes on Orange Ave in SoDo are a mess with ongoing construction. A few nights ago, I watched several cars (and an ambulance) enter a construction lane with an oncoming bulldozer. Whats interesting is that the ARB expressed concern about the original size of the art panel (which was even smaller and left the entire top row of the parking deck level exposed but substituted with glass windows instead). So the scale of the panel was on their radar to begin with. The garage is mechanically ventilated so I don't think airflow played a factor in the final design. Per the report: "The art panel should either be larger to be the same width of the openings, or slightly smaller and perhaps be split into two pieces. The art panel installation and the artwork will require additional review." The last rendering showed this (unless the ARB further "fined tuned" the design to what we wound up with

Looks like Kress is getting a̶ f̶a̶c̶e̶ j̶o̶b̶ some facade work done. Also feels kinda weird not seeing the Walgreens signage up next door anymore.

The streetwall on the west side of Orange Ave is filling up nicely. Now if only something could be done about the Sentinel site... In case you needed a refresher: The unfinished dirt patch at the intersection of Amelia & Orange is where the small pocket park will go, which, along with perimeter landscaping, will help screen 47 adjacent surface parking spaces to the west. Renderings are from the ARB plans originally posted by @dcluley98. Before: After:

I think jernigan made the right call to post under the main discussion page considering Spenser was a stalwart contributor to the forum. It's apparent that quite a few members did not see JFW's notice in the Coffee House thread.

Isn't downtown a quiet zone now or does that only apply to freight (and not passenger)?

Nope, not that. I remember trying to convince him firefighters and paramedics are actually pretty gorgeous these days (I cross paths quite often with them for work). Shortly after, he became a convert after witnessesing them for himself lol. I'm referring to something spenser said long ago (a fleeting comment, possibly in jest). I'm pretty sure it was directed at a UP member... @prahaboheme was it you??

According to CBS: For instance, starting next month a homebuyer with a credit score between 640 to 659 — considered "fair" — and who has a down payment of 5% will incur an LLPA of 1.5%. Prior to the change, the fee for this group of buyers was 2.75%. That means someone purchasing a $200,000 home would pay an LLPA fee of $3,000 under the new structure, down from $5,000 previously. But some purchasers won't get as good deal as they did before. For instance, homebuyers with credit scores of 740 to 759 — considered "very good" — and putting 20% down will face a new LLPA of 1%, compared with 0.5% previously. For the purchase of a $200,000 home, that means the fee will double to $2,000. ...However, the changes are complex and don't uniformly increase LLPAs for people with high credit scores. Some people with good credit scores will see no change, while a few types of borrowers with high scores could see a slight improvement. For instance, buyers with a credit score of above 780, considered excellent, and who make a downpayment of 5% will see their LLPA decline by 0.625 percentage points. That could have an "unintended consequence," noted Rajiv Sethi, a professor of economics at Barnard College and Columbia University, in a blog post. "Those with reasonably high credit scores and substantial wealth [could] choose to lower their down payments strategically in order to benefit from lower fees," he wrote. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mortgage-fee-structure-2023-llpa-credit-score-buying-a-home/ To call it reparations for people of color is not accurate. While homeownership is significantly lower for black, hispanic and Asian people, that does not mean minorities are the only ones to benefit because white homebuyers also benefit from the change since it's based on credit scores and LTV range -- not race. Anecdotally, as a landlord with a near perfect score and as a mixed race person, I've seen ALL races with low credit scores and one of the worst credit scores/history I've ever seen was from a white woman, just saying. I don't necessarily agree with the changes because at face value it does appear to remove the incentive of striving for good credit (although it looks like I may not be negatively impacted by the new parameters), but then again I'm honest enough to admit that I'm not familiar with the inner workings of how loans/fees are worked out behind the scenes either.

I could be mistaken, but that almost sounds ominous... if you don't have your cup of coffee then stay clear lol. I randomly had a flash back about a coffee meme when I drove by Ralph Kazarian's former office in Mills-50 today. His ex-wife had a picture of a grumpy cat on her side of the office that said something along the lines of don't talk to me until I've had my coffee. This was back when memes were still in their infancy.

A little off topic and because I think it's time for the "guilty" party to fess up If I'm not mistaken, didn't spenser have a crush on one of our fellow UP members? I remember there were noncommital plans for a group get-together that never came to fruition... unless they really did meet up and that was how the spenser's unrequited love connection was formed? This inquiring mind wants to know!

The balconies serve several purposes, outdoor seating for tenants upstairs while also serving as an awning for pedestrians below. Another bonus is that anyone seated on the balconies above equals more eyes on the street for added security. Can't speak to how often the balconies will be used - maybe the tenants upstairs will use them during lunch breaks. Might not be as aesthetically pleasing as some higher end renovations, but it looks a lot better than some nearby properties that have been sitting untouched and neglected for years. Looks more inviting for pedestrians than the before pic IMO.