Pete C

I believe Buddy is telling the truth. The Sentinel is now reporting that Brazilian superstar Kaka might sign with the team for its inaugural season in 2015, possibly along with others! That has to have the MLS absolutely salivating to bring a team here. Forget Beckham, we would have top notch international soccer stars on the field right away!

Buddy Dyer was on 740 The Game this morning and said flat out: Orlando is getting an MLS team and it will be announced before the end of Summer.

TJ's and Whole Foods can co-exist near each other. In fact TJ usually targets areas with a WF nearby. Don't know if you've been to one, but TJ's has a much smaller produce section, no deli, no fresh seafood, limited meats, and is more niche overall than WF. You can't really do ALL your shopping at TJ's since they don't have everything. What they do have is really unique and great though. Glad to see REI coming to WP. The K-mart shopping plaza across from Ravaudage was recently bought out so it may be completely redeveloped. So much happening in WP!

Gotcha...I just read that wrong. Wow, that is a terrible idea, and I hope they do not consider it. Orlando of all places needs covered seating!! Shade is crucial since this league plays in the summer. There is no point to building a stadium that does not give the fans as least this layer of comfort.

I thought the entire stadium was always planned to have covered seating for all sections.

There is no space a block north of there.

Yeah, you are totally right. Soccer is not exactly family friendly as the chants from those supporter groups are laced with profanity. I still see kids at the games though. The Philadelphia Union actually addressed their support groups and told them to tone it down so they could attract more families who were upset with the language.

MLS official joins Orlando City Soccer Club's front office http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-orlando-city-mls-official-front-office-20130605,0,1809722.story

That is good news indeed!!

That wouldn't happen. MLS will grant us a team with a stadium plan approved...not fully built. We would have the team already announced before the thing even broke ground.

I hate to be negative, but I am getting that Dwight Howard feeling all over again. The MLS is going to have to choose between David Beckham star power in high-profile Miami or Orlando with our USL Pro team. Trust me, we are not getting into the MLS anytime soon if David wants a team.

What a joke...Beckham would never consider a small market like this. We are going to get screwed I'm afraid. The county is not going to move fast enough and our window is going to close.

It doesn't

Hue closing in downtown Orlando, will re-open in fall with new concept http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/blogs/the-dish/os-hue-closing-in-downtown-orlando-will-reopen-in-fall-with-new-concept,0,4061410.post

Exactly, ground floor retail is not going to work in this area. If it were a Walgreens in a location like that it would also need to have a parking lot.

Kres is thought of as great, if Yelp is any indication. It's the highest rated restaurant downtown.

This is not good: Nevertheless, House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said the stadiums package, which would create a competitive process for sports teams to compete for $13 million annually in sales-tax rebates, was a long shot because the package still had local Miami-Dade tax issues that were objectionable. That means the bill may have to be amended and bounced back to the Senate, which could doom its chances. "I would say that has an uphill battle," Weatherford said. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-legislature-heads-to-final-day-20130502,0,2788148.story

I believe they have until tomorrow to pass this

Senate plan will force sports teams to compete for stadium dollars http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-mls-dolphin-stadium-deals-20130429,0,582686.story

Good question about cannibalization...I think that is definitely the case with new bars, however I would say that we could use a few more good restaurants. We have a lot of mediocre ones and only a few standouts downtown.

Yeah, that was a big letdown.

Ivanhoe Village has made USA Today's 10Best list for "10 best neighborhoods that tourists haven't found yet". Awesome! http://m.usatoday.com/article/travel/2078741

The brickwork and fountains also look really good. If that is any indication of how the whole project will look I am really looking forward to it.

Article today about the rebound of development along 17-92 in Winter Park: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/os-winter-park-17-92-development-20130402,0,6896100.story

Well I could see that being a problem in NYC where there are countless historic venues and beautiful performance halls to choose from, but that couldn't be further from our predicament. DPAC will be by far the most desirable venue in the region to perform in.