LEADERSHIP PROFILE
We spoke with Capt. John Murray, the CEO of Port Canaveral, about how things are going there.
Cruise Magnet: With more than 8.6 million passengers this past fiscal year, Port Canaveral squeaked by PortMiami, which had 8.5 million passengers, to become the busiest cruise port in the world. Port Canaveral has 16 homeported ships, and its growth in traffic marked a 13% increase over 7.9 million passengers the previous year.
Margaritaville: A six-story, 150-room Compass by Margaritaville Hotel is being built near the port, seeking to attract guests from its growing cruise market.
Earnings: Total revenues in fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, were $218 million with next year’s revenues projected at $237.4 million.
Challenges: “The Port is focused on ‘right-sizing’ cruise terminals to meet contractual obligations for new vessel arrivals in 2026 and 2027 sailing seasons. The Port is making substantial investments in terminal renovations, expansions and adding parking facilities to accommodate the growing demand for cruises.”
More Ships: The outlook for 2026 includes 18 homeported cruise ships and a record 9 million passengers.
HIGHER EDUCATION
- The New York-based BNY financial services firm, which recently opened a large office in Lake Mary near Orlando, has entered into a five-year partnership with the University of Central Florida. An 8,400-sq.- ft. Client Technology and Operations Center Lab will host programs taught by BNY experts for UCF students.
- Full Sail University opened a 7,900-sq.-ft. Drone Innovation Center on campus. It will house an engineering hub, a remote drone operations center, a flight simulation area and an indoor flight zone for hosting drone races.
ARTS
- The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts says it’s willing to donate a one-acre site in downtown Orlando to the public and help turn it into a cultural destination. It bought the land adjacent to the center for $10 million in 2025.
DEVELOPMENT
- British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin, best known for its cars being driven by 007 agent James Bond, plans to build an 18-story, 86-unit, 320,000-sq.-ft. luxury condo tower in Daytona Beach to be followed by towers in Tampa Bay and Mexico City. It’s working with Clearwater-based Valor Capital Real Estate Development on all three.
- The abandoned 150-acre Royal Oak Golf Course in Titusville, which closed in 2012, will be redeveloped into a 547-home subdivision called Gemini Lakes.
- Cocoa officials approved plans for a seven-story luxury apartment complex in the heart of downtown. The developer, Tampa-based Framework Group, plans to seek tax incentives from the city.
- A new Tesla dealership and a new Audi dealership are being built along Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach.
- Lake County commissioners OK’d a proposed 149-home subdivision called Lakeshore Preserve that will redesign a dangerous road in unincorporated Clermont with two roundabouts to slow down traffic.
LAYOFFS
- Frito-Lay — the maker of Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos, Tostitos, Sun Chips and Lay’s potato chips — eliminated 500 jobs when it closed two manufacturing and warehouse operations in Orlando. Parent company PepsiCo Foods said consumers are cutting back on spending and also eating healthier snacks.
- The University of Central Florida laid off 57 employees at the Florida Solar Energy Center, a renewable energy research center in Brevard County, after the Trump administration canceled federal grants that supported it.
- CNO Financial Group, a parent company for several insurance brands, laid off 247 workers connected to its Orlando offices. Its brands include Bankers Life, Colonial Penn and Washington National.
TRANSPORTATION
- Osceola County plans to widen one of its most congested roads, Canoe Creek Road, from two lanes to four. Traffic on the road is projected to more than double by 2050. The widening project, which could cost $157 million, still needs to be funded.
GOVERNMENT
- Volusia County plans to build a $38.3-million Sheriff’s Office headquarters near DeLand Municipal Airport that will house a backup to the county's 911 system and will serve as a “dry location” to respond to hurricanes and other emergencies.
- Lake County commissioners approved conceptual plans for a new 68-acre county fairgrounds location in Tavares.
POLITICS
- Longtime Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is running for governor. In the Democratic primary, he’ll face former Republican congressman David Jolly. Republicans running include U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, CEO James Fishback and possibly Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. Demings, who has been Orange County’s mayor since 2018, was previously Orange County sheriff and Orlando’s police chief.
EDUCATION
- The Trump administration ordered Seminole County Public Schools to shutter “Latinos in Action” student leadership classes at 10 high schools intended to help Latino students graduate, saying the district may be discriminating based on race.
Volleyball Valkyries
The Orlando Valkyries pro volleyball team began playing in a newly merged league in January. The Pro Volleyball Federation and Major League Volleyball combined into one league, branded as the MLV. The Valkyries won the Pro Volleyball Federation championship last season.
End of the Line
Kroger eliminated 935 jobs in Lake County when it ended its grocery delivery service in Central Florida and closed a large e-commerce fulfillment center in the town of Groveland. “We don’t make these decisions lightly,” said Kroger, which also cut hundreds of jobs in Tampa, Jacksonville and Rockledge. The supermarket chain will repay Lake County $460,000 in incentives and impact fee rebates it received from 2022-24.