Central Florida and Space Coast Business Briefs - May 2008

BREVARD COUNTY

» The Air Force has awarded Melbourne-based Harris Corp. (NYSE-HRS) a $45.2-million contract to supply Falcon radios for its mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles. Harris also has secured a $25-million contract to supply the Royal Brunei Armed Forces with tactical radios, accessories and other equipment.

MELBOURNE

» The Florida Technological Research and Development Authority has received a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a one-year program that provides technology assistance to small, clean-energy businesses in rural Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

» The Florida Institute of Technology broke ground on its $5-million Scott Center for Autism Treatment.

ORLANDO

» A federal jury has ordered Orlando timeshare mogul David Siegel of Westgate Resorts to pay former employee Dawn Georgette Myers nearly $5.4 million in a sexual harassment suit. Siegel’s attorneys are appealing the ruling.

» Orlando International Airport plans to charge a $2.50-a-day tax on car rentals, a move the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority expects to help pay for $102.6 million in improvements to the airport’s rental-car operations. The airport also is starting a $400-million construction project to upgrade its main terminal.

» Nemours has received state approval to build a children’s specialty hospital in the future Lake Nona “medical city” in east Orlando.

» Two central Florida firms will share a five-year contract as general consultants on a $5-billion work program for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise: PBS&J of Orlando and HNTB of Lake Mary. Funding for the first year is expected to be $27.6 million.

» Group Table, a company at the University of Central Florida Technology Incubator, has developed an online tool that lets students and groups work together at a virtual study table.

» A new Walt Disney World attraction based on the TV series “American Idol” is set to debut later this year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.

» Orlando-based Busch Entertainment, a division of Anheuser-Busch, is partnering with property developer Nakheel PJSC to create a theme park complex in Dubai called the Worlds of Discovery, which will include SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove.

» For two years, SeaWorld will use new Ford E-450 shuttle buses that have been modified to run on hydrogen instead of gasoline to transport employees between SeaWorld and its sister parks in Orlando.

» Global Green Alliance, a consortium of organizations that promote green and sustainable commerce and lifestyle, is producing a Green Earth Expo on May 14-18 at the Orange County Convention Center.

» The Cheyenne Saloon & Opera House has reopened at its old site downtown under the leadership of Bob Snow, who created the surrounding Church Street Station tourist attraction in the 1970s and 1980s.

» Data Transfer Solutions, a technology firm in Avalon Park, has won two contracts worth a total of $200,000 to help the Florida Department of Transportation use technology products to analyze the effects of future road projects on surrounding communities.

OSCEOLA COUNTY

» Norseman Plastics of Canada plans to open a branch in Poinciana Industrial Park that will create 38 jobs. The company manufactures packaging and handling products for food service, beverages, meat processing, agriculture, recycling and home products.

SEMINOLE COUNTY

» Next month, Belgian airline Jetairfly will start non-stop weekly low-fare flights between Sanford Orlando International Airport and Brussels Airport.

» The University of Central Florida has opened a business incubator in the Vistawilla Office Center at State Roads 434 and 417.

VIERA

» A court decision has cleared the way for Health First to proceed with its plans to build a 100-bed hospital in Viera.

VOLUSIA COUNTY

» BBK Performance Products of California has broken ground on its auto parts manufacturing and distribution facility at DeLand Crossings Industrial Park. The company’s first major East Coast expansion will create up to 40 high-wage jobs.

WINTER PARK

» Mattamy Homes, Canada’s largest new-home builder with $1.3 billion in revenue, has opened a Winter Park office.

Tags: Central