The region's Hispanic community, growing almost twice as fast as in the rest of Florida, now makes up about 20% of Central Florida's total population -- an increase of nearly 12 percentage points since 1990, according to a study by Fishkind & Associates. Osceola County has the highest percentage of Hispanic residents in the region with 37%.

Some Hispanic residents are coming directly from their native countries and others by way of the U.S. Northeast. Most are of Puerto Rican heritage, accounting for 57.2% of Hispanics in Osceola County, 48% in Orange, 43.9% in Seminole and 28.6% in Lake.
By 2007, a projected 39,000 Central Florida workers will be employed because of direct or indirect spending by the Hispanic community, which will wield purchasing power of $8.2 billion, according to the study, which was commissioned by the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Central Florida is also seeing an influx of new employers. Last year marked one of the few times the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission worked with fewer local expansions than new-to-market projects, which accounted for 56% of the projects in 2005, compared with 35% most years, says Trent Flood, director of public relations.

Low unemployment and an increased need for technical and professional workers have Central Florida employers searching for talent worldwide and steadily raising the region's pay scale. For newcomers, affordable housing continues to be a challenge, with the median home selling for about $250,000.

Carlos Barrios, principal of Baker Barrios Architects, recruits worldwide for professional help. He says his diverse staff now resembles a "virtual League of Nations."

Skilled Help Wanted

? With a growing number of high-profile projects on its plate, Baker Barrios Architects is searching the world for experienced architects and support staff to supplement its current workforce of about 100, offering salaries of $40,000 to $90,000 and more. "We're looking everywhere," says principal Carlos Barrios. "The market is really tight right now in architecture." The result, he says: A diverse staff from countries including Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, India and Austria. "We have a virtual League of Nations."

? Even though Central Florida is building a reputation as a hub for simulation companies, there aren't enough skilled engineers in the area to fill every job available. DEI Services Corp., a Winter Park simulation-training company with nearly 90 employees, is recruiting all over the U.S. to fill as many as 30 jobs the company plans to add this year with an average salary of $65,000. Founded in 1996, the company recently expanded into a fourth facility and received an $11-million Army contract with another company to build M-2 Bradley tank maintenance training systems. "A lot of our recruiting is really high-end individuals with engineering degrees," says Jose Diaz, founder and president. "In the past, we'd try to put in a 100-mile radius for searches, but now we're having to look outside the state."

New Companies

? Enterprise Technology Partners, founded in 2000, specializes in IT, management and finance consulting for public-sector clients, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Education and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, and is expanding to include private-sector contracts.

? Edisolve.com in Eustis, founded in 1999, partners with Hewlett-Packard to help healthcare businesses and others exchange information electronically about confidential issues such as billing and medical history.

? The new Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center, an Orlando-based non-profit founded by the Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, has launched the state's first mobile emergency simulation lab for training.

? Kirchman Corp., acquired by Metavante Corp. in 2004, is one of a growing cluster of financial services companies with headquarters or satellite offices in Seminole County, along with Fiserv, SunGard and London Bridge Phoenix Software.

? Cnow Inc., a six-year-old company based in Mount Dora, has partnered with the recently established National Institute of Telehealth in Lake County to develop standards for supporting adults and children with special needs such as autism. Touting Hospitality

Roger Ploum

Roger Ploum, new general manager of the Westin Grand Bohemian hotel downtown, previously worked in Celebration after moving to Central Florida about seven years ago from New Orleans. Originally from Holland, Ploum chose the Orlando area for its quality of life. "It's a world-class city. There are few destinations in North America that would be more desirable to live in than Orlando." The hotel hires people from as far away as Iceland, Central and South America, Eastern Europe and other countries, he says. With the nation's second-largest number of hotel rooms after Las Vegas and the second-largest convention center after Chicago, hospitality workers know they can move up in position without having to move to a new location. "This is a great town for anyone in the hospitality industry," he says.

Orlando

Almost half of all people who move to Central Florida from outside the state gravitate toward Orlando and Orange County, IRS records show. And 50% of people who move out of Orlando and Orange County have been staying in the region, setting up residence in surrounding counties -- especially Seminole, which welcomed 20% of the 62,000 residents who left Orlando and Orange County in 2004. ... Mayor Buddy Dyer is launching four new business development programs: One aimed at helping women and minorities start and grow small businesses, another at attracting companies that will create high-wage jobs, another at assisting 10 startup businesses a year in each district, and the fourth at redeveloping outdated and unused strip shopping centers. ... The city is working with myregion.org to increase the supply of housing for both homeless people and middle-wage earners squeezed out by rising home prices.

Key Newcomers

? Juan Lynum, hired last year as executive director of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, formerly worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb in Spain before returning to Orlando, where he grew up, to attend law school at the new Florida A&M University campus. Under his direction, the chamber has forged a partnership with Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and is focusing on membership, advocacy and publishing a black business directory. He is the son of City Commissioner Daisy Lynum and is expected to run for a county commission seat.

? Linda Watson moved from Corpus Christi, Texas, last year to become CEO of the Lynx Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority. The vast majority of the bus system's new hires come from out of state, especially from New York, she says. "I talk to every single orientation class of new employees," she says. "We joke in every class, 'OK, raise your hand if you're from New York.' " Orange County

Orange County is the top destination in the U.S. for Puerto Rican migrants, counting 14,347, or about 6% of the U.S. total from 1995 to 2000, according to a survey by Jorge Duany of the University of Puerto Rico. The Bronx, N.Y., ranked second with 13,853, followed by Miami-Dade County with 8,754 and Osceola County with 7,600. ... The eastern part of the county will continue to produce new industry, jobs and housing around Central Florida Research Park and an area dubbed "Innovation Way" between the University of Central Florida and the Orlando International Airport. ... Watch for hospitals to jockey for position as a new Nemours Children's Hospital makes plans to enter the market.

Lake Mary

Continuing to develop its reputation as a high-tech corridor, Lake Mary has been seeing a steady in-migration of companies from within and outside of other parts of Central Florida, says John Omana, the city's community development director. "The bottom line is, people are wanting to move into Lake Mary," he says. ... Central Florida Box Corp. recently relocated its corporate headquarters from south Orlando to Lake Mary. The company manufactures product packaging, point-of-purchase displays and other types of boxes and cardboard products. ... The largest tracts in the city are already developed or earmarked for projects, but these areas can be ripe for redevelopment even if talk of Seminole County being built out by 2015 comes true, Lake Mary officials say.

Sanford

Sanford has always had the most diverse population in Seminole County, but now it's seeing even greater cultural and ethnic in-migration, says Russ Gibson, the city's director of planning and development services. With its unique location on Lake Monroe, its fast-growing Sanford International Airport, and improvements to its schools, roads, hospitals, parks, colleges and zoo, the city is undergoing a renaissance and developing a reputation that brings new residents from Latin America, Europe, Asia, Canada and other parts of the U.S. ... The city has hired a new economic development director, Robert Tunis, to help develop and sustain Sanford's growing economy, including development along the waterfront and downtown. ... A growing arts community is attracting writers, painters, poets and other creative types to Sanford. ... A professional baseball team is considering Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium for its new home.

Seminole County

Over the past decade, as class A office space expanded in Heathrow and ColonialTown Park along Interstate 4 in Lake Mary, most of the companies moving in were from neighboring Orange County. In more recent years, tenants have come from out of state, says Bill McDermott, the county's director of economic development. "They initially bring a cadre of senior people," he says, and then fill other positions from the local workforce. One example: Ruth's Chris, the steakhouse chain that moved its headquarters and 60 jobs to Seminole County from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. ... As the workforce grows -- the county saw 2,500 new jobs created last year -- two concerns continue to plague the business community: Transportation and affordable housing. "If you're a manufacturer, and you're going to pay someone $40,000 to $45,000 a year, it's difficult for them to find housing if they're just moving into the area," McDermott says. About 16,000 people cross the St. Johns River bridge every morning from Volusia County, where even traditionally midprice housing is growing more costly. ... Negotiations on a proposed western beltway to connect Apopka and Sanford are expected to continue this year.

Kissimmee/Osceola County

New residents and new employers are pouring into the area. The county has 16 development of regional impact projects in the works, which proves it's no longer living in Orange County's shadow, says Maria Grulich, Osceola County director of economic development. "We're going to be a major component in the area," she says. "We're going to have a little more say-so in our destiny. We're really coming into our own." ... The area is developing a reputation for innovative technology because of several projects that have gained national recognition, including St. Cloud's citywide free wireless service and the Gaylord Palms Resort's in-room network for convention-goers. ... The county is working with schools and colleges to beef up the supply of qualified workers for the new businesses moving in, making sure the degrees offered at the University of Central Florida, for instance, match the qualifications needed in the workforce. ... Housing prices -- the median price in central Florida is now almost $250,000 -- remain a concern because some new residents can't afford to buy. ... Watch for Osceola County and its cities to get more aggressive in the regional transportation discussion with surrounding counties, not only to keep residents and commuters moving along on the roadways, but also to ensure new warehouses and other businesses can get their products in and out, Grulich says.

Lake County

New residential and commercial construction projects are springing up all over the county, but the fastest growth is in the south around Minneola, Groveland, Mascotte and the area known as Four Corners, where Lake intersects with Orange, Polk and Osceola counties. As housing prices climb, more people are buying farther away rather than moving within Lake County, says Greg Mihalic, Lake County director of economic development and tourism. Affordable housing is at a premium, and more workers are spending in excess of 50% of their income for housing. Add to that a long commute for about 28% of Lake's residents who still travel out of the county for employment, Mihalic says, and it underscores the need for more high-wage jobs in Lake. ... The county has been working on a new comprehensive plan for growth over the next 20 years. ... About 79% of the county's assessed value comes from residential properties, with the rest made up of commercial, industrial and agricultural. This year, balancing the county's assessed property values is a front-burner issue. An optimal balance would be 60/40, Mihalic says.

New Companies

? Casmin Inc., a truss manufacturer based in Leesburg, has received a $470,870 Quick Response Training grant from Workforce Florida, administered by Lake-Sumter Community College, to help assimilate workers into 465 new jobs. Casmin is now the fifth-largest employer in Lake County, with offices in Lady Lake, Mount Dora and Tavares as well as Ocala in Marion County.

? Restor Telecom has grown from 20 employees to 53 since 1999, when a group of key managers purchased the company and moved it to Leesburg from Orlando. The telecommunications repair company tests and refurbishes circuit boards for companies such as Verizon. Headed by CEO and President Lisa Somerville, the company expects to add 10 more jobs this year. "In most situations, we've been able to hire people from Lake County, generally people who've been commuting either to Ocala or Orlando," says Chief Technology Officer John Somerville. Another source of employees: The Villages, where retirees from other states seek part-time jobs. The company has used an Incumbent Worker Training Program from Workforce Florida Inc. to keep its staff's skills up to date. Population charts: