Business accelerates in Orlando for home sales tech firms
Michael Gerrity describes the real estate market in March — the onset of the pandemic in the U.S. — as an “abyss.” But in the months since, Gerrity’s online real estate listings firm hasn’t just avoided the woes created by the pandemic. In fact, the company, which has its East Coast headquarters in Orlando, has reached…
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Orange County approves a way to unsnarl housing holdup
Eighteen proposed housing developments stalled by a contradiction between Orange County’s rezoning process and a state law now have a path forward. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners on July 7 unanimously approved a change to the county’s comprehensive plan and voted to abate a county ordinance dealing with school capacity. This temporarily pauses…
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Osceola County to offer more grants to small businesses hurt by pandemic
Osceola County is offering more small businesses grants to those hurt by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to federal funding. The county government on June 29 opened its process to apply for funding with expanded criteria. In total, the county will provide about $3.2 million in funding for businesses for certain expenses such as rent,…
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Orange County to vote on pausing some building permit fees
It may become more affordable to build in Orange County — for a limited time — in an effort to spur more construction activity. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners will weigh on July 7 offsetting $10 million in building permits for a six-month period, according to county documents. And developers may be able…
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Florida’s initial unemployment claims show slight improvement
Florida saw a slight decrease in week-over-week first-time unemployment claims for the week ending June 27 — but it still ranked among the worst five states. Total first-time claims in Florida were 84,608, down from 95,683 the previous week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Florida was No. 5 in the nation for the…
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DeSantis vetoes $10 million for Osceola’s BRIDG tech center
Gov. Ron DeSantis killed a $10 million appropriation for Osceola County’s BRIDG advanced manufacturing center as part of sweeping round of vetoes aimed at slashing the state budget by $1 billion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. The BRIDG veto was a gut punch to the $70 million facility that anchors…
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Here’s why evictions are headed to Park Avenue
An eviction lawsuit in Winter Park’s high-end Park Avenue shopping district may be a signal more are coming, experts say, as the pandemic continues to dampen sales for retailers across Central Florida. Winter Park-based landlord Lulu I LLC has alleged its lessee Roia Inc. — which does business as cosmetics shop Elevatione at Winter Park…
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Here’s how Orange County will safely drive traffic to local businesses
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on June 26 unveiled a new effort the county and several local organizations have undertaken to emphasize safety at local businesses. Demings announced the “Safer, Stronger, Together” campaign during his 2020 State of the County Address. The marketing initiative was created with input from the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, Visit…
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Realtors’ CEO: Real-estate market is on the rebound | Commentary
The word “recession” conjures up thoughts of foreclosures, for sale signs and half-constructed neighborhoods. We are living in uncertain economic times once again, triggering memories of 2008. But unlike the Great Recession, this is a medical crisis — not a real-estate crisis. Now is not the time to panic, but to understand the landscape and…
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Economy’s next big problem: Managing bad loans
For the most part, the U.S. economy has been in emergency mode for the past three months – with the government printing money to keep the wheels turning. The pandemic unleashed a series of debilitating blows that clearly has crippled the economy and forced billions of people across the world to adjust their behavior when it…
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