All you’ve done your entire life is work with your hands. Building, wiring, framing. It’s a tough job, but it’s one you own - the bitter taste of long hours in the sun are offset by the tangible sweetness an honest, good-sized paycheck brings home to your wife and two children. Work is booming and a hard days’ work has never gone further - until, one day, the phone stops ringing.

Welcome to the life of former Bithlo area resident, 29-year-old Kenneth Cross. Several years ago, Cross worked in the construction industry, partnered with his brother Leo, framing roofs of residential homes at a hectic pace. But, as the economy took a downturn in Central Florida, the residential housing market crashed and Cross was left with no work and little hope.

“About three years ago it started to get so slow and if there was work, no one was paying anything,” he says. “My brother and I were just getting into making good money and if it had lasted just a little bit longer, we would’ve been alright.”

Instead, Cross was forced to take up an on-again, off-again landscaping position to help make ends meet. His family has been forced to use food stamps to eat. His wife has become almost the sole supporter for the household, still struggling to survive and raise two young children.

When the calls stopped coming in, Cross remembers being concerned first, then angry at what was going on around him. “I was concerned because we were hurting for money,” he says. “After doing so well for a long period of time, working steady - to go to not making money was rough.”

Then the anger set in. According to Cross, when there was work, it was being given to illegal immigrants who would underbid projects and work for pennies on the dollar. “You just couldn’t do it as cheap or as fast because they had so many guys,” he remembers. “There was nothing we could do to compete.”

Down but certainly not out, Cross decided that it was time for a change. He was going to use his construction skills for something else - he was going to build himself a new career.

Deciding to temporarily put down the hammers and pick up the books, Cross enrolled himself at Valencia Community College and began pursuing a degree in engineering. “I wanted to stay in construction because I’ve already got the experience there,” he says. “My goal for the future, what I’d really like to do, is design the roof trusses on houses after the architect gets done with the initial plans.”

However, with just a few semesters to go before earning his degree from Valencia, an old contact came calling - he had work installing siding on apartments. Not wanting to turn the opportunity to make money and provide for his growing family, Cross stepped away from his education to become the chief family earner again. But, just like the construction industry, the work isn’t steady.

“I work whenever he has work, sometimes it’s a few days a week, sometimes it’s more; last time I worked four days straight, but I’ve been out of work for a little over a week because he hasn’t had any for me to do it,” says Cross. “It’s sporadic at best.”

Cross has now missed the last two semesters of school in favor of providing for his family. But, perhaps most importantly, through the entire situation, he has never given up.

“Its been a tough road, but we’ve made the most of it,” he says.

Article by Corey Gehrold

You may have heard that throughout Central Florida there is a surplus of housing and commercial property available. Obviously, that’s not news. But, what you may not have heard as much about is the way that East Orlando has dealt with the recession, the real estate burst and how the area is positioned to grow and become stronger than ever.

For starters, East Orlando is inhabited by thousands of smart, talented individuals and families. In the 32828 zip code alone, which houses Avalon Park and Waterford Lakes, 15 percent of the population have a bachelor’s degree or better - Metro Orlando sits at only 8.5 percent. Because East Orlando is so densly packed together, there are 784 individuals with advanced degrees per square mile, which is roughly four times the Orange County average at 216 per square mile.

Why does that matter exactly? Well, according to local experts, these statistics are some of the main reasons that the recession and real estate fallouts have played out somewhat different in the community. “When we talk about East Orlando, we’re talking about an economic environment that really doesn’t exist anywhere else in Central Florida,” says Jim Spaeth, president of Remora Partners, a capital investment group focused on East Orlando.

Anchored by the major metropolitan research entity that is UCF and the Orlando International Airport, Spaeth says the area has taken on a new shape, spurring a new type of economy known as the “innovation economy” that revolves around the mass production of ideas rather than the mass production of products.

“The influence of those two large economic drivers is pervasive,” says Spaeth. “What they end up doing is creating industries and offspring industries that otherwise wouldn’t appear in the scheme of things.” He is referring to industries that create high-paying jobs such as optics and photonics; modeling and simulation; digital media; and even biotech and life sciences in Lake Nona.  These industries and the thousands they employ, at least partially, help fill the void of houses and commercial space in the area.

According to Spaeth, East Orlando has experienced a different recession than the rest of Central Florida. “I think that there hasn’t been the recognition in the community that East Orlando has gone through a different manner of the recession when compared to Central Florida,” he says. “The media hasn’t really shown that so, consequently, the perception in the community is that East Orlando is struggling - and certainly some people are - but, if you dig behind that and look at vacancies, foreclosures and the state of real estate stock, you’ll find that the area has weathered the economic storm better than any other place in Central Florida, at least that I’ve been able to find.”

Again, Spaeth contributes the resilience of the area to the innovation economy harbored there. “East Orlando will stay ahead of the curve because of the evolution taking place there; someone will come up with an idea that was better than the last and it takes hold, thus pushing the economy forward,” he says. “The key is to have plenty of smart, motivated individuals living and working in your community that are engaged in those new industries or working to create new ones; and East Orlando has done a good job of attracting them there and fueling those innovations.”

Compared to the rest of Central Florida, whose growth was often stimulated mostly construction, East Orlando never relied as much on families moving into the area to create income. “Unfortunately for other areas, when the recession came and people stopped moving here, that’s when you saw vacancies go way up and prices go way down,” says Spaeth.

In East Orlando, however, the educated population leads to stronger job retention, according to Spaeth. “The people that live in East Orlando live there because they are employed in good industries that are still hiring today,” he says. “Those regions that relied on the housing and construction industries to fuel their growth are in much worse shape than East Orlando.”

For the future, Spaeth says that the area is definitely on the right path. “As long as you’re creating a place where those smart, talented people want to live than the real estate in the area is going to be in good shape, because they’ll need somewhere to work and a place to call home,” he says. “As far as recovery goes, I think that we’ve never really gotten off the path of progress, we just haven’t recognized that yet.”

Article by Corey Gehrold

Looking for something new to do this summer?  Why not float in a warm, crystal-clear river in the heart of natural Florida?

It’s a little known fact that Central Florida was a popular vacation destination before the famous “House of Mouse” was built. But in the early 1920’s, Central Florida was a popular vacation spot for the roadside attractions surrounding the natural warm-water springs.

Today, there are five major state parks featuring springs within just an hour drive of where you’re reading this right now. Two of the most distinct parks are De Leon Springs and Blue Spring State Parks, each offering a pleasant, 73 degree year-round natural pool and much more.  In fact, these lands are filled with history dating as far back as when Florida’s only residents were Native Americans.

De Leon Springs was originally named after the famous explorer, Ponce De Leon.  Originally, the spring was marketed as the fountain of youth.

“The spring was promoted to cure. Back in the 1800’s, all of the spring resorts would say that the water would cure anything, from dandruff to cancer,” says Brian Polk, park manager, De Leon Springs.  “They said it would make people completely healthy.”

Today, the roadside attraction owes its fame to the hotel and casino that was built around the spring that operated until the mid 1960’s.  It wasn’t until 1982 that the state purchased the land and it became a state recreational park.

De Leon Springs is home to a variety of wildlife including alligators, deer, turkeys, manatees, bald eagles, osprey and black bears.  Wildlife boat tours are narrated by the one and only Captain Frank who takes guests on a journey down Spring Garden Run.

Perhaps the most popular attraction in De Leon Springs is the historic Old Sugar Mill Restaurant.  Owned and operated by the same family since the 1960’s, the restaurant was built in the building that held the first water-powered mill in Florida.  Though it was operated by settlers in the 1800’s, the original chimney and brickwork used for the kettles still remains.

“It’s a great atmosphere the old rustic building overlooking the spring.  It’s a wonderful combination that attracts people by the bus load,” says Polk. “What sets this restaurant apart are the built-in table griddles on which guests can make their own pancakes.”

Less than 25 minutes down the road from De Leon, another park offers a different kind of experience.

Best known for its manatees, Blue Spring State Park attracts visitors from all over the world who have come to experience Central Florida.  Throughout the manatee season of Mid-November through early March, visitors can walk along the botanical boardwalk overlooking Spring Run and learn about the manatees in their natural habitat.  Blue Spring even hosts their annual manatee festival in January to celebrate the large population of manatees in the spring run.

“We had almost 300 spend the entire winter season with us this past year,” says Lynn Flannery, park services specialist at Blue Springs.

In the summertime, the spring is open for swimming with over 40 different species of fish occupying the long-flowing spring run.  Other wildlife that frequents the area includes a variety of shore birds as well as turtles and gopher tortoises.  Visitors may encounter these as they tour the beautiful and historic St. John’s River on a two-hour narrated ecological cruise.

For history lovers, Flannery recommends visiting the Thursby House, built in 1872 by Louis Thursby and his family, the first family to settle on the Blue Spring land.

Whatever you choose, visiting one of the state parks certainly promises an authentic and unique summertime experience.

“You can go out in the spring run and just imagine what it looked like 100 years ago.  It’s easy to imagine because there are no signs of people. You can maybe look up and see an airplane, but there are no houses, no power poles, no cell towers; so, it’s definitely like experiencing old Florida,” says Polk.  “It’s really a great place for families and for people to get out into the natural environment and enjoy themselves.”

Article by Erika Finnimore

Growth in Central Florida has slowed a bit over the past few years leaving some businesses, small and large, forced to close their doors.

The truth is, a majority of our state and local dollars come from growth and property taxes, agriculture and tourism. If one of those economic legs isn’t doing well, then we have a major funding problem, like we have right now. To create a sustainable economic future in Central Florida, we must take advantage of opportunities to change our economic landscape.

Historically speaking, successful economic development begins with transportation planning.  Companies and jobs will not come without access to transportation - be it a road, a port, an airport, a rail line, a bus route, etc.  Education also plays a key part in creating a sustainable economic environment; without a strong education system, an educated workforce and access to future workers, companies will be limited in the employees they can attract and retain.  Our close proximity to UCF and the recent opening of Monument Parkway, a key transportation component necessary to realize the vision for Innovation Way, are a step in the right direction for long term economic strength.

Luckily for those of us reading this, our future is in our hands - literally right in our own backyard.  East and Southeast Orange County are a vital piece to the economic landscape puzzle, if you will, with several large-scale opportunities primed to strengthen our economic future. From Lake Nona’s “Medical City” to the expansion of the Central Florida Research Park into ICP to redevelopment efforts amongst many of our small business corridors, diversification and economic prosperity are knocking at our doors. It’s up to our political and business leaders to answer those calls and open those doors.

The opportunities here are different than most across our nation.  That’s because we are already home to several successful economic business clusters, all of which provide the foundation for future economic opportunity and overall job creation.  Mainly located within the Central Florida Research Park adjacent to UCF, are close to 10,000 jobs in the Life Sciences, Simulation, Aviation/Space, Digital Media and Optics/Photonics clusters.  With the establishment of Medical City and the proposed expansion of Research Park, indicators point to an expanded Life Sciences cluster and the beginnings of a medical simulation and clean technology clusters.  As recent as last month at the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce luncheon discussing these economic clusters, Percy Luney of Space Florida indicated that there is additional discussion of establishing a research corridor along the Beachline/528 for businesses doing business with NASA and the International Space Station.

My husband and I are small business owners and our business has absolutely nothing to do with economic clusters.  Neither he nor I will ever work in a laboratory, design a widget or find a cure to a rare disease.  However, we will continue to call this area home and welcome economic advances that will ultimately make our community stronger - providing jobs, increasing property values and contributing to an overall improved quality of life.  Who knows, maybe one day one of these new clusters will inspire us to start another small business feeding their employees, taking care of their pets, selling their homes or providing their kids with daycare.

Article by Jennifer Thompson

On May 11, developers of the Innovation Way East project (IWE) went before the Orange County Board of County Commissioners seeking approval to change zoning laws for a 4,625-acre property they own in southeast Orange County. If approved, the result would merge IWE with nearby International Corporate Park (ICP) to create the project dubbed “Innovation.” After meeting until well past 11 p.m., the vote was delayed until June 22 to allow for more dialogue on the land uses.

According to the developers - Suburban Land Reserve (SLR) and Farmland Reserve, corporations held by the Mormon Church - the end result will create more than 6,300 homes and provide a state-of-the-art live-work community that houses hundreds of industrial and high-tech jobs. Within 10 years, SLR says that Innovation is expected to bring 1.5 million square feet of research facilities, 1.7 million square feet of industrial space and 1 million square feet of office space. More than 50 percent of the total land area will be preserved as permanent open space and parks.

“Approval of Innovation immediately provides $50 million of shovel ready development projects and over 25,000 high-quality, high-tech clean jobs for the future at full build-out,” says Adam McKinnon, business development manager for SLR.

The IWE project has been rigorously opposed by some county growth staff and community environmental groups for various reasons, the most cited stating there is no need for new housing in the area and extending the urban services there (water and sewer) would promote greater population sprawl.

Still, SLR contends that final land use plan approvals are still months away and the land is as much as four years away from building any homes in IWE. “As for ICP, once both projects are approved, business, road and research park development will become imminent,” says McKinnon.

Several County Commissioners remain opposed to the development. In January, Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty agreed with the critics, arguing that there was no need for additional housing in the area. But a lot has changed since then. SLR has reduced the amount of housing called for to the 6,300 number, down from their original 8,000. Commissioner Mildred Fernandez, who opposed the project was arrested on corruption charges leaving a possible 3-3 tie with the remaining Commissioners.

Further complicating matters is the fact that SLR is slated to split the costs of building a new BeachLine Expressway (SR528) interchange almost evenly with the county and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, contributing roughly $12 million. However, they have said recently that they could not help build the connection unless their project was approved.

Supporters of the project say that a potentially region-shifting economic-development effort, named “Project Transform”, may be lost if IWE cannot get approved.

Although initially opposed to the idea, District 5 Commissioner Bill Segal has said that if more details are revealed about the project, he may alter his vote because of the potential impact of the deal. “I am committed to crafting a proposal that can get the support of the community, my fellow commissioners and the land owner,” says Segal. He stresses that any proposal must provide three things for it to gain his support: protection for environmentally sensitive lands, funding to build the interchange for Avalon Park and supply a significant amount of real high-paying jobs. “I cannot, nor will I put forward any proposal that falls short of these three goals.”

Supposedly, Project Transform involves Sematech, a Texas-based semiconductor producer. The deal is rumored to include county-level, state, federal and private incentives in the range of tens of millions of dollars. If approved, the deal would provide around 100 jobs and help solidify the IWE region as the high-tech region it hopes to become.

Regarding the project, SLR was not able to provide any further details. “SLR is working closely with the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission to bring a major job catalyst to Central Florida,” says McKinnon. “Unfortunately we are unable to comment at this time due to a confidentiality agreement we are committed to maintaining with the parties involved.”

As the June 22 deadline approaches and plans are reworked, SLR contends that the right time to make the development happen is right now. “With the land use approvals of Innovation, it will launch an immediate job creation component,” says McKinnon.

Article By Corey Gehrold

Inquires as to the development and zoning process can be directed to Adam McKinnon or JD Humpherys by e-mailing AdamMcKinnon@SLReserve.com or JDH@SLReserve.com, respectively.