SPOTLIGHT
The state’s SunRail commuter line opened a station in DeLand, the northern terminus of its decade-long effort to connect 61 miles of Central Florida track and 17 stops that stretch south to Poinciana. Volusia County chair Jeff Brower called it “another path forward to a more interconnected and economically robust community.” In the last 10 years, 41 development projects have been built or started near SunRail stations with a construction value of $1.8 billion. New Deland station-adjacent housing projects are now moving forward. The first train left DeLand on Monday, Aug. 12.
TRANSPORTATION
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) was again ranked the busiest airport in Florida with 57.7 million passengers in 2023 and the fastest growing in the U.S. with a 15% jump over the previous year. That also makes it 7th busiest in the U.S. and 18th in the world, ranked by trade association Airports Council International.
TOURISM
- Orange County’s tourist-tax collections for fiscal 2023-2024 are neck and neck with last year’s record $359 million. The tax helps fund Visit Orlando and improvements to Camping World Stadium, the Kia Center, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and the Orange County Convention Center.
GAMING
- An international football video game competition featuring EA Sports’ popular Madden NFL 25 has a new home at Full Sail University, a private entertainment media and technology school in Winter Park. The EA Sports’ Madden Champion Series (MCS) will be hosted at the school’s state-of-the-art esports arena, the FSU Orlando Health Fortress. MCS also plans to contribute a scholarship for Full Sail students.
PHILANTHROPY
- Nemours Children’s Health in Orlando announced a $7-million donation from Pass It On To Kids Foundation for pioneering research on how the Zika virus can be used to target and destroy neuroblastoma and ovarian cancers. The gift will also be used to support a music therapy program.
- The WaWa Foundation awarded Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida $475,000 to alleviate food insecurity in schools, building on last year’s pilot program. With Second Harvest reaching students across seven counties through 750 local nonprofit partners, the grant will add five fresh market sites at schools, provide 40 market sites with $1,000 worth of produce each month of the school year, and support more than 70 markets with nonperishable food.
PORTS
- Port Canaveral is estimating record operating revenue of $210.92 million and profits of $70.15 million in the 2024-25 budget year due to projected growth in the number of cruise ship passengers. However, the port halted plans to turn its North Cargo Berth 8 into another cruise ship terminal after the Florida Departments of Commerce and Transportation objected due to its potential uses for the space industry instead, which is also booming.
AEROSPACE
- The Space Coast Regional Airport was awarded $5.8 million from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to build an access road to the 1.4-million-sq.-ft. Space Coast Innovation Park being built in Brevard County. Officials say construction will begin in 2025 and take about a year to complete. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office estimates it will create 900 jobs.
TECH
- Oregon-based Rogue Valley Microdevices is pouring $70 million into its upcoming microelectromechanical systems and sensor foundry facility in Palm Bay, more than doubling its original planned investment. The company bought a 50,000-sq.-ft. commercial building last year and plans to begin producing devices there in 2025.
FILMMAKING
- Since the state ended an incentive program for filmmakers in 2016, Orange County officials hope to rekindle its success. They established a Film Incentive Workgroup to explore offering financial benefits to filmmakers if they spend $400,000 in the county, shoot 60% of the film locally and hire at least 55% cast and crew from the area. Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties now offer their own packages of incentives to attract filmmakers, Film Florida says.
LAW
- A supergroup of experienced litigators has launched a new Orlando-based law firm, DownsAaron, with a second office in Tallahassee. The firm will focus on concierge-level service and high-stakes litigation across a range of matters, including in state, municipal, and local government law, marital and family law, corporate disputes and data privacy. Founder Mayanne Downs has been the city attorney for Orlando since 2007, and founder Jeff Aaron has represented Govs. Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, among others.
ACQUISITIONS
- Orlando Health’s $439-million bid to buy three Florida hospitals from Dallas, Texas-based Steward Health Care has won approval from a bankruptcy court overseeing Steward’s case. The acquisition includes Rockledge Regional Medical Center and Melbourne Regional Medical Center in Brevard County and Sebastian River Medical Center in Indian River County. The deal is expected to close by year’s end.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints applied to make 52,450 acres it owns in Orange County — called Central Florida’s Deseret Ranches — an official part of the city of Orlando. The move pushed Orlando leaders to review the application for it to voluntarily annex the land before a November ballot referendum in Orange County that could squash the plans.
DEVELOPMENT
- Developers added amenities to Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach Town Center, such as The Sand Bar, with a second outdoor swimming pool and oversized tiki hut. They also include picnic areas, another pickleball court and a new sports field to accommodate Fins Ball, a baseball-like game that has “taken the community by storm,” developers say. Latitude Margaritaville is developed by Minto Communities USA and licensed by Margaritaville Holdings.
- Due to rapid growth, Orlando-based cybersecurity company ThreatLocker is eyeing downtown Orlando’s Westcourt development as a location in which to expand its offices. The company plans to add some 1,200 jobs over the next two years to its current staff of about 500 employees. It will need analysts, engineers, developers, sales and marketing staff, and customer service staff. An 11-story, 261-room Kimpton Hotel is slated for development in Westcourt with plans to open in 2027.