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Central Florida Business Briefs - May 2006
» United Airlines has started service from Daytona Beach International Airport, offering non-stop flights to Washington, D.C., and connecting flights to more than 30 other destinations.
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES --
» Volusia Properties has announced its sixth luxury condominium project in recent years, a seven-story, 40-unit property along the Halifax River at South Atlantic Avenue and Emelia Street. Work is set to begin early next year.
KISSIMMEE --
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A beautification project along west U.S. Highway 192 that was set for completion later this year wrapped up five months early and was unveiled in March. The project included streetscaping, wide sidewalks and colorful mile markers to help visitors navigate the popular tourist strip.
MELBOURNE --
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Officials broke ground on a $3.8-million Business Innovation Center. The center, scheduled to be completed in April, will provide entrepreneurs with financial assistance.
ORLANDO --
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Home Depot, which recently bought Hughes Supply for $3.47 billion, reportedly will operate its professional supplies division out of former Hughes headquarters in the Parramore area of downtown Orlando.
» Florida A&M University has officially opened its new law school. The $30-million, 160,000-sq.-ft. building is expected initially to house 400 students.
» Real Estate Inverlad and Baker Barrios Architects are developing a pair of 12-story towers called 101 Eola at 101 and 201 S. Eola Drive downtown that will include 116 condominiums starting in the low $200,000s, as well as retail space and a parking garage.
» The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation has awarded $6.5 million to the National Consortium of Academics and Sport, headquartered at the University of Central Florida. Part of the money will be matched by the state to create an endowment for the consortium. The rest will support faculty and staff to operate the program for majors in sports management, sports law and other disciplines.
» Science Applications International Corp. plans to add 300 jobs in software design and systems engineering during the next three years with a $14.5-million expansion into an 85,000-sq.-ft. facility next to its existing operation at Central Florida Research Park.
» The University of Central Florida has opened a resort-style recreation complex that includes a 7,200-sq.-ft. pool, a 5,700-sq.-ft. clubhouse and lighted volleyball courts.
» The University of Central Florida has won three Department of Defense grants worth $1 million each, leading -- along with the California Institute of Technology -- all universities in the nation.
ORMOND BEACH --
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The Club de Bonmont, an 18-hole championship golf course, is undergoing a $4-million renovation that should be completed this summer. A 27,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse is expected to open in 2007, and work is set to start within the year on a spa and fitness center.
PORT ORANGE --
» Work started this spring and is expected to continue for several years on a mixed-use community along the Intracoastal Waterway in Volusia County. Port Orange Riverwalk, a project between the city and master developer Port Orange River Walk, will include high-rise residential buildings, retail, entertainment and office space, as well as pedestrian-friendly public space along the waterfront.
WINTER PARK --
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Rollins College opened its renovated 16,000-sq.-ft. music building, R.D. Keene Hall, which includes a 400-seat acoustically engineered recital hall. Rollins grad Joanne Rogers, a concert pianist and wife of the late Fred Rogers of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," assisted with the dedication.
