For many residents of Bithlo, life is hard. Jobs are scarce and opportunity seldom comes knocking. Many residents lack the necessary education and training required to obtain full-time positions. The jobs they can find are often too far away to even consider walking and many lack a form of motorized transportation. Many rely on LYNX to get from place to place, day to day. In 2009, LYNX replaced regular bus service to the area with their PickUpLine program due to budget constraints. This year, as the county faces a reported $70 million shortfall, LYNX funding may again be cut by an estimated seven percent, along with many other Orange County departments.... [Read more]

It comes with the territory. If you live in East Orlando, odds are you use toll roads quite often. In fact, SR 408 and SR 417 are some of the busiest roads in Central Florida, with SR 408 ranking second in overall traffic, behind only I-4. Recently, several new interchanges opened on SR 417 in the Lake Nona area, but what about Road “E,” and what major project is next for the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA)? The northbound on-ramp from Moss Park Road to SR 417 is one piece of the newly opened interchanges in the Lake Nona area. This past December, two new, complete interchanges opened on SR 417 in the Lake Nona area.... [Read more]

Street racing used to be a major problem in the Orlando area. On Friday and Saturday nights, streets were turned into drag strips, teens were turned into speed freaks, and occasionally, the parties were turned into accident scenes. There were seemingly weekly reports of another life lost to the dangers of illegal street racing. But all of that changed a year ago. Born out of necessity, the Central Florida Racing Complex has, according to president Pete Madison, all but eliminated street racing fatalities in the large District 4 area of Orange County encompassing much of East Orlando, Conway and Lake Nona.  “There hasn’t been a street... [Read more]

The economy may be in a tough place, but that isn’t stopping Orlando’s main hub for travel. The Orlando International Airport, the busiest airport in Florida and 11th busiest in the country, is providing excellent customer service to travelers, according to a new study, which in turn is accounting for an increase in travel to the Orlando area from overseas. Orlando International Airport was recently ranked No. 4 in the 2010 North America Airport Satisfaction Study done by J.D. Power and Associates. The airport was recently ranked No. 4 in the 2010 North America Airport Satisfaction Study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. Released... [Read more]

Free. It’s one of the most powerful words in the human language, especially these days. Luckily for Orlando highway users, free has a new friend with the E-PASS Mini. The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) approved a decision at the end of January to hand out free E-PASS Mini sticker tags for Orlando residents and businesses. The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) approved a decision at the end of January to hand out free E-PASS Mini sticker tags for Orlando residents. Lindsay Hodges, the manager of public relations and communications at the OOCEA, says the OOCEA board created a citizen’s advisory committee... [Read more]