SPOTLIGHT
Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in America for five years in a row, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals. That’s why so many pickleball courts have been opening all over Florida.
To capitalize on its growing popularity, a developer wanted to build a massive, 150,000-sq.-ft., 44-court pickleball complex in Ocoee that could host tournaments. A site plan showed that 20 courts would be indoors and 24 would be outdoors but would be covered. There would also be a 14,000-sq.- ft., two-story pro shop and cafe.
An Orlando company called Vasant Sports proposed to put the complex on six acres that it purchased last October for $2.7 million. However, neighbors objected and raised concerns about noise from the 24 outdoor pickleball courts, leading Ocoee officials to approve only the 20 indoor courts.
Also in the Orlando area, the city of Winter Springs is getting ready to open a pickleball complex with 14 courts.
ACQUISITIONS
- The national engineering firm Halff, based in Texas, has purchased Orlando-based civil engineering firm Singhofen & Associates to expand its reach in Florida. In the deal, Halff is adding 30 employees from Singhofen, which is changing its name to Singhofen Halff. The sales price wasn’t disclosed. The acquisition brought Halff to 78 Florida employees in 10 offices around the state.
DEVELOPMENT
- Georgia-based developer Tellus Partners plans to build 314 apartments on an 11-acre site near Universal Orlando’s upcoming Epic Universe. Located near International Drive, the property is about a mile north of the Epic construction site. Nearly 140 of the apartments are to be three-story tall, vertically situated “triplex” units with garages underneath. Slated to open in summer 2025, Epic Universe will be the fourth Universal theme park in Orlando.
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Rollins College President Grant Cornwell will retire in June 2025 after 10 years on the job. Throughout his tenure, he spearheaded strategic initiatives and capital projects to enrich students’ lives and educational experiences, transforming the Rollins campus in the process. U.S. News & World Report ranks Rollins the No. 1 regional university in the South.
- Bethune-Cookman University received a $1.4-million donation from Daytona Beach entrepreneur and philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand. The donation will be used to renovate two buildings on campus that will be known as the L. Gale Lemerand Academic Multiplex and the L. Gale Lemerand Football Complex. Buildings are also named after Lemerand at Daytona State College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Florida.
HEALTH CARE
- AdventHealth Daytona Beach announced a multiyear, $220-million construction plan to add 104 beds, four new surgical suites and more than 240,000 square feet to the hospital. The construction includes vertical expansions of two existing towers. This will add intensive care and progressive care beds, including an expanded cardiovascular intensive care unit and a dedicated neuro-ICU unit. Once completed, the hospital will grow from 362 inpatient beds to 466 beds and will become just under 1 million square feet in total. Terry Forde, president and CEO of Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare, has been named president and CEO of Health First, headquartered in Brevard County. Health First is a not-for-profit health care system with four hospitals.
HOSPITALITY
- An eco-spa and boutique hotel is being proposed for Clermont. The Sundara Inn and Spa will be modeled after an existing place that has the same name and is located at Wilderness Resort, a water park in Wisconsin. Amenities there include a wellness spa, swimming pools, a fitness studio, a golf course, a restaurant and Sundara’s proprietary Purifying Bath Ritual.
HOUSING
- A California developer has started construction on 300 affordable apartments in west Orlando. Lincoln Avenue Communities is building the 52 at Park Apartments. All units will be reserved for people earning 60% or less of the area’s median income. A pair of four-story buildings is to be completed by mid-2025, while the rest of the complex is to be finished by the end of 2025. Solar panels will help supply power for the complex.
TRANSPORTATION
- The Central Florida Expressway Authority plans to build a toll road through south Lake and west Orange counties that will charge the batteries of electric cars and trucks as they drive on it. The technology is based on devices that wirelessly charge phones. Vehicles will need to have receiver plates installed on their undercarriage to tap into the electromagnetic field being generated by coils of wire embedded in the road. The planned State Road 516 will run east-west between Orlando’s beltway and the rapidly growing exurbs along U.S. 27 in Lake County.
LAYOFFS
- One of Brevard County’s largest employers, Melbourne-based defense contractor L3Harris Technologies, is laying off an unknown number of employees in a move designed “to streamline our operations,” the company says.
STARTUPS
- The Orlando education technology startup Pete Learning has secured $2 million in seed funding. Pete is developing proprietary AI technology to help create customized online courses for workforce training.