“We’re No. 1.” At least, that’s what local officials are saying following the results of two travel surveys.

Spring finds Orlando in seasonal transition — not quite tropical but with plenty of warm temperatures and sunny skies, especially as compared to the rest of the country.

Beautiful weather aside, a pair of recent industry professional studies suggests business and leisure travel to the destination is beginning to recover. Both the meeting planner and travel trade groups that were polled in separate surveys ranked Orlando as the top location to book travel to this year. Read more

Tampa Bay and Central Florida could emerge as a single economic region — and Florida’s dominant economic driver.

In the past, the area stretching from Tampa Bay through Orlando and Central Florida has been called such interesting names as Orlampa or Tamplando. Yet, regardless of the moniker, the potential for economic firepower across the entire area is just beginning to be addressed. Read more

BREVARD

The efforts of county housing and human services agencies received a lift in the form of grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The tally: $860,271 for services and housing for the homeless. Through the Brevard Continuum of Care Coalition, grants were delivered to the Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless, Crosswinds Youth Services and 211 Brevard Inc. Coalition funds will be used to provide transitional housing to individuals and families. The Crosswinds Youth Services organization has successfully assisted homeless youth ages 16-21 with learning job, daily living and other life skills needed to become self-sufficient adults. 211 Brevard will continue support of the Homeless Management Information System and provide directory assistance to homeless service agencies. The Brevard County Housing and Human Services Department is the lead agency for the Brevard Continuum of Care Coalition, an organization comprising nonprofit agencies, faith communities, local governments and advocates.

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LAKE

The Lake County Tourism and Business Relations Division has introduced two initiatives to spur a sagging tourism economy, where tourism tax revenue collected from 2008 to 2009 declined by 17.5 percent from the previous year. An online coupon is being offered at www.lakecountyfl.gov, good for $10 off a stay at any participating hotel, bed and breakfast inn or vacation home in the county. To receive the $10 coupon, a guest must fill out a Web form and print the personalized discount. After filling out the form, guests are asked to subscribe to Lake County Tourism’s quarterly newsletter. Also, a new county tourism blog contains helpful information and travel tips for visitors. Lake officials are touting the county’s 1,000-plus freshwater lakes and rivers, charming hometowns and family festivals.

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ORANGE

Orange County Government expects to save approximately $1,684 per year and reduce its carbon footprint by more than 1 ton using a simple waste-reduction technique: moving payroll completely online for all employees. Orange County eliminated payroll checks years ago in favor of direct deposit, but payroll stubs providing information on payments and vacation hours lingered until now. The total savings equal nearly 260,000 sheets of paper annually, which is equivalent to preserving nine trees. Other recent green efforts include energy-efficient lighting upgrades; a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic installation at the Orange County Convention Center; and the opening of the new Medical Examiner’s Office, the first county building to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, qualifying for certification at the LEED Gold level.

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OSCEOLA

Osceola County Emergency Management Specialist Keila Walker has received the Thomas Yatabe Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the State Emergency Response Commission for her role in planning a multiagency, multijurisdictional preparedness-training exercise last year. Walker took the lead in planning a mock train wreck in downtown Kissimmee that would have resulted in a hazardous materials explosion causing toxic plumes and damaging area homes and businesses, including the county’s courthouse and administration building. Among the agencies participating from outside Osceola were Seminole County Division of Emergency Management; Orange County Office of Emergency Management; Orange County Hazardous Materials Team; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Florida Division of Emergency Management; Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; United Space Alliance; Lockheed Martin; CSX; Local Emergency Planning Committee Region 6 and American Red Cross.

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POLK

At press time, the Central Florida Development Council Inc. of Polk County was planning to host a super-region transportation conference in late February in Lakeland — a strong sign that momentum is mounting for a regional approach to transportation. Tampa and Orlando are aggressively pursuing mass-transit options and have received federal money to make it happen. Polk County, meanwhile, is viewed by many officials as a chief component of the plans because of its location at the center of the potential super-region. (See Ppage 36 for related information.) The planned keynote speaker was Pat McCrory, the former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., who is credited with spearheading the city’s 25-year transportation plan through expanded bus service and light rail. Expected attendees included state, regional and county economic development and transportation officials.

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SEMINOLE

The new Magnolia Square Market, Sanford’s first downtown grocery store in decades, received a major boost by receiving a $116,350 grant under the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Rehabilitation Loan Subsidy Program. The program, established early last year, is designed to provide funding to help building owners and entrepreneurs renovate their properties while they start new businesses. The program assists these owners and entrepreneurs in their renovations by subsidizing all except 1 percent of the interest on rehabilitation loans up to $300,000. With downtown Sanford attracting more quality businesses, the cost of renovating vintage historic buildings has proved to be a problem. The program is designed to overcome the renovation cost barrier while stimulating new business, according to Bob Tunis, Sanford’s economic development director.

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VOLUSIA

Frederick (Rick) Karl Jr., a Volusia County assistant attorney with 28 years of experience in law and business practice, has been tapped by Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen to head a reorganized department that will oversee operations at Daytona Beach International Airport as well as the county’s economic development efforts and coastal management. Phil Ehlinger, who had been serving as interim economic development director, now is director of the county’s Economic Development Division. Joe Nolin remains as director of the county’s Coastal Division. The airport director’s job will become vacant when Dennis McGee retires later this year after more than 31 years of service. Other county director appointments: Dona DeMarsh, formerly interim director of the Community Assistance Division, now is director of the same division, and Jeaniene Jennings moves from acting director of the Purchasing and Contracts Division to director.

OK, it’s not the NBA Championship, but the feat is impressive, even if we might not quite understand it all.

The Orlando Magic hit an exclusive social networking mark, becoming the first Eastern Conference team — and second in the NBA — to obtain 1 million Twitter followers.

Despite having more than 60 million users worldwide, a number that includes countless organizations, businesses, athletes, musicians, actors and other celebrities, fewer than 250 Twitter users have reached the 1-million-follower plateau. The only other NBA team making that claim is the Los Angeles Lakers. After the Lakers and the Magic (http://twitter.com/Orlando_Magic), the next-highest NBA Twitter following belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which have fewer than 35,000.

Also notably, the Magic’s All-Star center Dwight Howard — or @DwightHoward as he’s known to his “Tweeps” — eclipsed the milestone last season and now has nearly 1.5 million followers of his own. Teammate Rashard Lewis, aka @Rashard_Lewis, also is active on the Twittersphere, in addition to his presence on several other social networking platforms.

It’s a brave new world.

(Shameless plug: I can be followed on Twitter @MikeRCandelaria.)

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Watch out, big banks. Community banks are out to get you.

At least, that’s the look of things from the grass-roots Move Your Money campaign. The goal is to encourage people across America to move their accounts away from the big banks and to smaller, community-oriented financial institutions. (Information about the online campaign can be found at www.moveyourmoney.info.)

Community-oriented banks report success, with new customers moving their accounts from some of the nation’s largest banks to signal displeasure with recent actions. One such smaller player is Trustco Bank, whose Florida regional president, Eric Schreck, comments: “We’ve seen millions of dollars in new deposits come to Trustco Bank locations across Central Florida as a result of this campaign. And those are only the ones in which people clearly identified why they were switching banks; there are likely many more.”

The battle lines of large versus small are drawn, again.

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Welcome news has come from Heart of Florida United Way. Its 211 & Elder Helpline has expanded to include a crisis hotline for people facing suicidal urges or other life crises that render them unable to cope.

HFUW was awarded the contract to provide local crisis hotline services through the Florida Department of Children and Families. While the contract is for Orange and Osceola counties, all callers, regardless of where they live, will receive appropriate services. Much like 911 or 411, 211 is a free, multilingual, 24-hour resource that helps people find critical assistance with everything from food and rent to elder care and disaster relief. Now by dialing 211, residents can also find immediate help if they are feeling suicidal or dealing with family violence, drug and alcohol addictions, sexual assault or any overwhelming life crisis.

As part of 211’s expansion, six full-time senior crisis specialists have been added, bringing 211’s total staff to nearly 40. All senior crisis specialists have extensive backgrounds or advanced degrees in social work and related fields. Over the past two years, 2-1-1’s overall call volume has increased 47 percent.

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Trust has been restored. Well, sort of.

With the nation creeping slowly out of the recession, trust in business and government in the United States has improved significantly, according to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual global consumer study. Edelman is a leading independent public relations firm, with 3,200 employees in 51 offices worldwide, including Orlando.

Ah, but there’s a rub. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. respondents express concern that business and financial institutions will return to “business as usual” as the recession comes to an end. The study illustrates that trust in business was gained through proactive measures taken during the economic crisis. Yet, while positive, those measures don’t offer a clear path forward for the retention of that trust.

When it comes to trust in business, more work is need. And more jobs wouldn’t hurt, either.

 

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Orlando Health has taken the art of parking to new heights, and lengths, with the latest addition to its downtown campus: a new $27.5 million parking garage. Yes, $27.5 million.

The garage, at Orange Avenue and Columbia Street, is adorned with a total of 16 palm tree murals, ranging in height from 32 to 61 feet. The palm trees replicate original artwork created by nationally known local artist Maria Reyes-Jones. Other impressive tallies: The nine-level parking garage has a total parking capacity of 2,246 spaces. The parking deck footprint is equivalent to two football fields. Its total gross square footage is equal to 18 football fields. A sidewalk, created from the 5,700 cubic yards of cast-in-place concrete for the project, would extend nearly 10 miles. The 16 graphic art banners constitute 15,360 square feet, or about one-third of an acre.

The scenic garage furthers Orlando Health’s announced plans to renovate and expand its downtown campus, one of the largest expansion efforts in the organization’s history, with anticipated construction ranging up to $150 million.

That’s putting your money where your medicine is.

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It’s a long shot, for sure. Yet, here’s hoping that just maybe, someday, it becomes a long drive, as in a home run: Major League Baseball in Orlando.

Congressional candidate Armando Gutierrez wants to deliver a franchise. There are even investors, he says, and there has, in fact, been some national speculation about team movement. The holdup, besides no stadium, of course, is that MLB hasn’t expressed any official intention to expand teams or relocate an existing one. Still, that hasn’t slowed Gutierrez, who says he is planning to study the viability of local big-league baseball without a single taxpayer dollar being spent.

The last league expansion occurred in 1998, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays (then Devil Rays) were established. The most recent relocation of a franchise happened in 2004, when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and were renamed the Washington Nationals.

Not holding my breath. Just dreaming a bit.

Wither FHA? No way, contend Realtor officials, who point out that half of Orlando buyers relied on FHA loans to purchase new homes in 2009.

The Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance program has seen good days, but even amid some controversy, never better than in today’s market.

According to the 2009 Orlando Regional Realtor Association Profile of Homebuyer and Sellers, more than 50 percent of all buyers of homes in Orlando in 2009 did so with an FHA loan. In addition, 69 percent of first-time buyers used an FHA loan.

“FHA helps provide affordable mortgage financing to homeowners, particularly first-time homebuyers, who are so important in drawing down inventory to help stabilize the current housing market,” comments ORRA Chairman of the Board Kathleen Gallagher McIver of RE/MAX Town & Country Realty. “FHA is a critical part of the American housing fabric.” Read more

Science in Toyland

Orlando Science Center

Remember those science classes that were practically painful to sit through? What if you had toys to learn those same scientific principles? Now children can at Science in Toyland, which opened Jan. 30 and runs until early May at the Orlando Science Center.

The exhibit features several interactive areas, all designed to bring science to the world of toys. At Bridges and Cranes, for example, youngsters can use Tinker Toys to build a bridge that spans across a “valley.” They can experiment with different construction methods and learn which combination of shapes makes a sturdy truss or tall crane. At Roller Coaster, they can learn about acceleration and momentum by adjusting the incline of a racetrack. At Catch the Wind, they can discover the Bernoulli principle at work as they position the sails of a sail boat at different angles and watch how the wind causes the boat to move.

The Bernoulli principle? This exhibit is for grown-ups, too.

BREVARD

J. Stanley Payne, chief executive officer of the Canaveral Port Authority, has been named to the 2009-2010 executive committee of the board of directors of the American Association of Port Authorities. AAPA is an alliance of leading ports in the Western Hemisphere. The mission of the organization is to protect and advance the common interests of members as they connect their communities with the global transportation system. It is governed by a 57-member board, consisting of elected representatives of the corporate membership from each of the port regions. Payne represents the U.S. South Atlantic port region. With extensive experience in port operations and shipping, he began his tenure with the Canaveral Port Authority in 2004 after serving as a deputy executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. In addition to his AAPA service, Payne is chairman of the board of directors for the Florida Ports Council. He also is past chairman of AAPA’s Security Committee, past president of the North Atlantic Ports Association and a member of the Governor’s Seaport Security Standards Advisory Committee.

LAKE

For the first time in the county, a family has received funding through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and moved into a new home, located in Eustis. The aid arrived with the help of the Lake County Department of Community Services and Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter. The NSP was created by the U.S. Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to respond to rising residential foreclosures and property abandonment. The NSP’s main purpose is to stabilize neighborhoods negatively impacted by foreclosures. Lake County received $3.1 million to acquire, renovate and sell foreclosed homes at affordable prices to eligible families. To have the most impact on neighborhoods hardest hit by foreclosures, the targeted areas were selected by ZIP code, including some in Clermont, Leesburg and Eustis.

ORANGE

In 2005, with a goal of replacing 10,000 trees by 2010, the city of Orlando began its 10,000 Trees Initiative. The planting of a final few trees citywide during the holiday season marked the achievement of that goal. In 2004, hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne wreaked devastation not only on residents and businesses, but also on Orlando’s landscape, with the city losing thousands more trees than it does in the average year. The city’s Parks Division, along with Green-Up Orlando and Keep Orlando Beautiful, brought together individuals and resources to restore the tree canopy. A core focus of the initiative was developing creative solutions for funding, such as seeking capital improvement funds, grants and donations. Orlando citizens and organizations joined the successful effort. The city continues to offer tree programs to residents and neighborhood organizations, and volunteer opportunities remain for tree planting through Green-Up Orlando.

OSCEOLA

Stacia Hetrick, aquatics agent with the University of Florida/IFAS Osceola County Extension Office, has won a national award from the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals for work on the office’s Hydrilla and Hygrophila Demonstration Project Web site (http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/osceola). Extension agents nationwide competed for the award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to natural resource education. Dr. Tina Bond, Osceola County National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System coordinator, also was recognized for contributions. The Web site provides information on a variety of topics, including hydrilla, hygrophila and other non-native invasive aquatic plants, as well as their management and what the county is doing to find solutions. The site represents one component of the outreach strategies of the Hydrilla and Hygrophila Demonstration Project, which seeks to find new, cost-effective solutions to better manage aquatic weeds and enhance the overall health and quality of lakes.

POLK

Energy 5.0, a renewable energy company, has announced plans to design and construct a 25-megawatt solar photovoltaic electric-generating station in the county. The Florida Solar I Project will be located on approximately 350 acres of reclaimed phosphate mine land. Preparation of permit applications and preliminary design work are under way. Staff members of the Central Florida Development Council had worked with Energy 5.0, Tampa Electric Co., Enterprise Florida and the county’s growth management personnel for the past year to help the company bring the project to Polk. Construction is slated to begin this fall. Under the terms of the agreement, Energy 5.0 will deliver the full output of the facility to TECO Energy at a fixed price per kilowatt hour. The project is expected to produce enough energy to power 3,400 households, and it’s anticipated that the clean technology will avoid the emission of more than 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide over the 25-year contract term.

SEMINOLE

The U.S. Tennis Association Florida named Seminole County Leisure Services Department as 2009 Member Organization of the Year. The USTA award is recognition of the organization’s contribution to tennis in the state of Florida. USTA Florida is a nonprofit tennis association composed of more than 1,000 member organizations throughout the state, with approximately 50,000 individual members. According to county officials, local residents also benefit from the recognition, which enables the county to continue to attract and reap the economic rewards of regional, statewide and national tennis tournaments. By winning the 2009 USTA Florida Member Agency of the Year, the Leisure Services Department gained considered for national recognition with USTA. Seminole County Leisure Services manages more than 6,000 acres of natural lands, 24 parks and 80-plus miles of trails.

VOLUSIA

The city of Daytona Beach has opened its first skateboard park, located within Bethune Point Park. City officials tout the skateboard park as one of a kind and one of the premiere facilities in Florida. Among the park’s features: a large precast concrete clam shell, precast skate-able art pieces and a precast bank textured with grooves — all elements in an innovative skating experience. The park also features an “in-ground bowl.” Skaters under age 17 must provide a signed parental consent form. Breaking Ground Construction, a Jacksonville firm specializing in skateboard park building, constructed the park, which was designed in partnership with Spohn Ranch, a California-based company known for designing courses for several “X-Games” competitions.

Movie buffs, there’s cool stuff coming out of the Orange County Regional History Center this month. Through May 16, a 3,500-square-foot exhibition highlights the nation’s rich entertainment history through more than 40 costumes, props and models from some of the most popular films and television shows spanning 60 years.

The exhibit, “Out of This World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television,” includes memorabilia from “Star Wars,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Ghostbusters,” “The Terminator,” “Indiana Jones,” “Star Trek,” “Batman” and others. A complementary exhibit, “Lights! Camera! Action! Filming in Paradise,” showcases Florida’s surprising history in film and television. Visitors follow a Florida Walk of Fame into the exhibit and then visit a “set” to see what’s behind the scenes. In conjunction with “Out of This World,” the History Center also hosts a series of special events and programs.

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Personally, I’m not quite part of the age group, but I’m inching closer. (And hope to get there someday.) I have concerns, though.

In a recent national jobless report, the number of unemployed individuals age 55 and older rose to 2,082,000 in November, up 54 percent from November 2008 and the largest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started keeping records for specific age groups. Also, experts in Florida say older job seekers are faced with unprecedented challenges, and many are on the verge of crisis.

Enter Experience Works, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of community service, training and employment opportunities for older workers. Billy Wooten, Florida acting state director for the organization (www.experienceworks.org), offers this advice: Get technical. Then he makes a pitch: Through his Senior Community Service Employment Program, qualified participants receive self-assessments, technical and skills training, assistance with the job-search process and placement in an appropriate training assignment with a local community service agency. He adds that the number of older workers seeking assistance from Experience Works has increased an average of 33 percent over the last year.

The clock is ticking.

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This effort calls for a salute, if not a badge of honor: The Central Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America, this month completes its Scouting for Change coin drive service project.

Running from Dec. 1 through Feb. 5, the drive was conceived by the Central Florida Council’s leadership to raise funds to help build schools in Nairobi, Kenya, which is considered the birthplace of Scouting. There, program founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell was thought to have envisioned Scouting’s ideals and fundamentals. In conjunction with the national organization’s celebration of 100 years of Scouting, coin-collection boxes were placed by Scouts and their parents at Regions Bank branches throughout Central Florida.

Among the community partners are Bright House Networks, Clear Channel Outdoor, Full Sail University, Regions Bank and Technetium Advertising & Web Design.

Young people doing good things — always worthy of attention.

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On the topic of kids, they have it made these days, too, at least when it comes to new schools.

Check this out: an entrance lobby designed with a glass wall to allow for natural light; an administrative suite located in the front of the school to allow for a secure view of the property; a media center, two computer labs and a closed-circuit television studio; a music classroom and an art room equipped with a kiln; and recreation areas that include a tot lot, a covered play area, a youth play area and two full-sized basketball courts, among other areas.

That’s what you’ll find at the $14.5 million, 101,639-square-foot Keene’s Crossing Elementary School in Windermere, designed by Orlando’s SchenkelShultz Architecture with Clancy & Theys Construction Co. of Orlando serving as construction manager.

Pretty plush.

Not coincidentally, SchenkelShultz is no stranger to school work. It has designed more than 33 million square feet of K-12 projects in Florida and was ranked as the No. 1 Educational Facilities Architect among Southeast Construction magazine’s 2009 Top Design Firms.

Lucky kids. When I was growing up, times were so tough … .

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First, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona arrived to lead the way for the new medical city. Now, it’s taken another LEED, becoming the largest gold-certified independent scientific facility in Florida, as declared under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

The building was lauded by the council for its eco-friendly construction and commitment to sustainability. Highlights: Throughout the 175,000-square-foot structure, glazed windows transmit more than 50 percent of exterior light while blocking 75 percent of solar heat; with an east/west orientation, overhangs and shading devices on exterior walls, heat and sun reflection are minimized; and compared to a similar building, energy savings at Burnham at Lake Nona are equivalent to the average yearly consumption of 6,600 homes.

The science of being green.

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What’s this? Downtown Orlando adds a niche bar/restaurant that puts the accent on food?

OK, Ember and Urban Flats (see Parting Shot, page 38) hit the mark, and a few others come close enough, but I’m talking about a cozy space developed by former college buddies who are barely out of their 20s.

On the menu at the Downtown PourHouse: bison kefta for a snack, lobster grilled cheese for a sandwich and a guava BBQ burger (with gruyère cheese and yucca fries).

Particularly during happy hour, there’s the food of an upscale eatery and the feel of a friendly pub, partly thanks to an arrangement with nearby Gibson Guitar Corp., which sponsored the stage setup and provides two guitars for musicians who are easy on the ears.

One of the owners, Chuck Zell, says he wanted a neighborhood place that was at least a little “different” and welcomed all comers.        Judging by the daytime and evening crowds, a good s

Orlando lands a high-profile mega tradeshow by blowing out the Windy City.

“Plastics.”

Ever since Mr. McGuire uttered that single word in the 1967 film “The Graduate,” the world has never been quite the same. Think about it. The plastics industry is everywhere, literally. Cups. Computers. Cars. And now Orlando.

NPE2012 and NPE2015, the next two installments of a mega plastics tradeshow, will take place at the Orange County Convention Center. The show is a tri-annual event produced by SPI: The Plastics Trade Association. More than 64,000 industry representatives registered for NPE2006 and 44,000 visitors were estimated to have attended NPE2009.

Overnight, NPE has become the destination’s second-largest tradeshow, outsized only by the International Homebuilders’ Show, which drew 92,000 attendees during the 2008 event in Orlando. Yet, what makes this an even bigger deal is that the international exposition has been held at McCormick Place in Chicago since 1971. Nearly 40 years later, Orlando has the opportunity to become NPE’s new home for many decades to come.

Bringing the tradeshow to Orlando was a true team effort between the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors and the convention center, with additional support from the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Central Florida Hospitality & Lodging Association, as well as community leaders including Orange County Major Richard Crotty and county commissioner Tiffany Moore Russell. The combined regional economic impact for the 2012 and 2015 tradeshows is projected to be approximately $200 million, based on projected attendance and spending figures.

“Landing NPE is an outstanding opportunity for the destination, and it is a strong validation of the value and service we provide to meetings and conventions,” comments Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County CVB. “While other cities in our competitive set, like Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas, each have their own unique strengths, Orlando’s cost-saving opportunities, innovative offerings and continued commitment to high levels of service won out.”

The reduction in expenses for both attendees and exhibitors — a subsequent study revealed the move could save the plastics industry nearly $20 million — was one of the prime motivators for the switch. From on-site hauling and labor expenses to travel and lodging, Orlando proved to be a great value for the tradeshow’s attendees and exhibitors.

Other factors were in play, too. The convention center, the second-largest convention facility in the country, was a key element in being able to provide the functional assets that were required for the NPE’s enormous exhibit space and electrical needs; NPE is the largest tradeshow based on weight density and power drawn by equipment operating on the floor. The destination’s selection of hotels that are available at a wide range of price points, with nearly 11,000 rooms within walking distance of the convention center, was another asset that worked in Orlando’s favor.

“Orlando also was the clear winner with customer service,” says William Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI. “At the end of the day, Team Orlando won the bid because of its team and community effort, professionalism, dedication to service, partnership mindset — we’re not just a customer — and innovative spirit. Orlando truly made the discernible difference.”

With the win of the plastics show, Orlando is seemingly on a roll. The thinking, apparently, now is that if a large, well-established tradeshow is motivated enough to leave a destination after almost four decades, why can’t others? In early December, for instance, Lucasfilm Ltd. announced it was holding the 2010 Star Wars Celebration V event at the convention center, another first for Orlando. Attendance for the Star Wars Celebration has fluctuated between 12,000 and 29,000 visitors since its inception in 1999.

Those are just two recent examples of the conventions and tradeshows that have been secured by the Orlando/Orange County CVB convention Sales team, in partnership with the convention center. During 2009, more than 1.4 million future attendees, with a $1.5 billion in economic impact to the regional community, were booked into the destination by the Orlando/Orange County CVB. With these ongoing victories, maybe the force really is in Orlando.

Editor’s note: To learn more about how Orlando markets the destination to global meeting, convention and tradeshow groups, visit www.orlandoinfo.com/cvb.

The homebuyer tax credit has been expanded and extended — but only until April.

President Barack Obama has signed into law an extension and expansion of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, but people thinking of buying a home can’t dawdle if they want to claim it. In order to qualify, a transaction must be completed by April 30 of this year.

Among other provisions, the extension adds money for certain move-up buyers; creates one deadline for signing a contract and a later deadline for closing; changes income requirements; and limits a qualifying home’s purchase price to $800,000.

“Extending the homebuyer tax credit and expanding it to reach more homebuyers is the right thing to do,” said 2009 Florida Realtors’ President Cynthia Shelton. “It is critical to maintaining the positive momentum we’ve been experiencing in the housing market and in the overall economy. Extending the homebuyer tax credit into 2010 will help Florida families realize their dream of homeownership, improve our communities and strengthen our economy.”

Studies from economists and housing industry analysts show that the homebuyer tax credit has been working, with home sales increasing and housing inventory declining in recent months, Shelton notes. According to research from the National Association of Realtors, the 2009 homebuyer tax credit has unleashed sales on the lower end of the market and brought into the market up to 400,000 first-time buyers who wouldn’t have bought otherwise. Similarly, in Orlando, sales of existing single-family homes for $250,000 or less accounted for roughly 80 percent of all sales through much of 2009. And sales of existing condos for $50,000 or less alone accounted for nearly half of all condo sales.

Since each home sale generates, on average, about $63,000 in additional economic activity, the 2009 tax credit has contributed approximately $22 billion to the national economy.

“Market activity has certainly picked up; [as of the end of September] we’ve experienced 13 months of increased home sales in Florida,” says John Sebree, vice president of public policy for Florida Realtors. “In addition to bringing new families into the housing market, [the tax credit] has helped stabilize property values. And current owners of Florida properties who will now be eligible for the $6,500 tax credit as [move-up buyers] will also see the added bonus of portability — the ability to take a portion of their Save Our Homes tax savings with them when they move. That is an incredible added incentive.”

While most details of the extension for first-time homebuyers mirror the rules currently in existence, the new law extends the $8,000 tax credit to homes under a sales contract by April 30, with the home purchase under contract completed by June 30. It has been expanded to include a new $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes buying a new principal residence (existing homeowners can claim the $6,500 tax credit if they lived in their principal residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight). And, effective Dec. 1, 2009, income eligibility limits to claim the full credit for both groups of homebuyers were raised to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

Editor’s note: This article was produced in partnership with the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

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Homebuyer Tax Credit At A Glance

* Extends through April 30, 2010, the tax credit for first-time homebuyers — up to $8,000 or up to 10 percent of the purchase price of the home.

* Provides a homebuyer tax credit of up to $6,500 to owners who have been in the same principal residence for five consecutive years during the previous eight years and are moving up to a higher-priced property.

* Increases the income eligibility limits to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for joint filers.

* Phases out the credit for individuals with incomes above $125,000 for individuals and joint filers above $225,000 at the same rate as current law (over the next $20,000).

* Limits the credit to purchases of principal residences valued at $800,000 or less.

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