Friday, March 29, 2024
68.2 F
Orlando

Economy & Markets

Do you know the CEOs with the worst reputations?

The CEOs of Sears Holdings and Dillard's are among the worst rated, according to a just released review conducted by 24/7 Wall St.

Orange County tourist tax collections increase by 9% in February

Tourist tax collections for the month of February, were $17.73 million, Orange County Comptroller Martha Haynie announced Wednesday. That's an almost 9% higher than what the County collected in February 2013.

Death for GM ‘Criminals’ says Michael Moore

Political activist and filmmaker Michael Moore is opposed to the death penalty, but he thinks that those responsible at GM for the deadly ignition-switch defect, ought to face death.

First GREEN Bank opens in Winter Park

First GREEN Bank, a local bank, will open its newest location tomorrow, April 1st. Located at 862 S. Orlando Ave, the Winter Park branch is the fifth First GREEN Bank within Central Florida.

Universal opens retro hotel: Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Universal Orlando officially opened the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, its fourth on site hotel, on Monday. The new hotel features a stunning design with bold colors, retro-inspired architecture and sweeping vistas that transport guests back to a time of relaxation and endless family fun, according to a news release from Universal

Lockheed Martin in Orlando to add 200 jobs, make $80 million capital investment

Lockheed Martin will add 200 jobs and make an $80 million capital investment in the company's Mission Systems & Training unit in Orlando.

Legislative Commission greenlights $20.8 million in tax dollars for unidentified firm

An unidentified aviation company will receive state economic incentives to the tune of $20.8 million, following approval by a special Florida legislative commission on Tuesday.

Your HVAC Connection: Low Refrigerant

There are plenty of things that can go wrong in the mechanics of air conditioners, and several of them have similar symptoms. One such issue is having low refrigerant in your system.

Black businesses seek support, action from lawmakers in Tallahassee

Florida Consortium of Black Businesses (FLCBB) journeyed to Tallahassee on Friday, to meet with the lawmakers to seek their support, action and advocacy on issues affecting the 187,000 black businesses across the state.

Black-owned small businesses getting kicked to the curb

Black-owned small businesses are faring a lot worse since the recession, receiving just 1.7 percent of all loan money through the Small Business Administration (SBA). That figure is down from 8.2 percent, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce welcomes new members

Today, Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce (FBCW) announced four new company and organizational members have joined its coalition. Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg, Winn-Dixie Stores in Jacksonville, On Top of the World Communities in Ocala, and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.

Nine retailers that have closed the most stores

Brick-and-mortar retailers have been struggling for years on account of slow economic activity and increased competition from online retailers. And over the past several years some retailers once considered successful have closed a number of locations.

Aquarium bursts open at Downtown Disney restaurant creating chaos (video)

A large aquarium at Downtown Disney's T Rex Cafe cracked open on Monday night, gushing water and creating chaos at the family friendly restaurant.

Orlando gas prices continue to rise

Gas prices continued their upward march in Orlando, rising by 12.9 cents per gallon over the past week, averaging $3.52/gallon, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of more than 850 gas outlets.

Universal Orlando: New venues for that energy boost open

Universal Orlando has opened a new restaurant and will open a second on Friday, part of its 2014 historic expansion to the entertainment complex. On Monday, CityWalk Cold Stone Creamery, located on the ground level next to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and Market, opened its doors selling the popular hand-packed frozen ice cream, along with cakes and smoothies.

SunRail releases train schedule, get a free ride before May 1

SunRail, Central Florida's commuter rail, is currently testing out its train schedule, although changes might still be made, officials said. Slated to begin picking up paying passengers on May 1, the train doors will be open to ride free of charge from April 15-18 and 21-25, to promote the launch, officials announced Tuesday.

Lockheed lands $14M contract to upgrade U.S. Army attack helicopter

Lockheed Martin announced Monday it has been awarded a $14 million contract from the U.S. Army to upgrade and modernize the turret on the army's Apache attack helicopter.

Black business leaders head to Capitol to advocate for business opportunities

Florida Consortium of Black Businesses (FLCBB), a collective group of black business owners and advocacy organizations, will travel to Tallahassee on March 21, to bring a united voice to the 187,000 black business owners in Florida and help promote business opportunities aimed at strengthen existing businesses. And they will need all the luck in the world to achieve success.

Four Locally Owned Orlando Restaurants Close

The ongoing tough economic times have forced the closure of four locally owned restaurants in Orlando. Lima 41, a Peruvian restaurant located on Curry Ford Road, which opened in August 2012, closed down last week.

Staples to shutter more stores

Staples will close as many as 225 of its North American stores and cut as much as $500 million in costs, as online competition continues to hurt sales, the office-supply retailer announced Thursday.

FDOT claims more support for Small Business

Recognizing that small businesses drive job creation and economic growth, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced Thursday, a number of strategies aimed at better supporting their development.

SunRail station opens in Winter Park

The City of Winter Park opened its new train station on Monday, one of 12 SunRail station stops which will connect DeBary in Volusia County to Sand Lake Road in Orange County, in the first phase of Central Florida's 61-mile commuter rail line.

Sears Opens new store in Ocoee

  A new Sears Hometown Store has opened at 8849 W. Colonial Drive in Ocoee. The new Store will celebrate its grand opening February 28 through March 1st, with the retailer offering an additional discount of 10 percent, including a $10 gift card for the first 20 customers on Saturday,...

Lockstep: Universal raises ticket prices

Not surprisingly, just days after Disney World upped its ticket prices, Universal Orlando Resort has followed suit.

Walton: Small business organizations critical for encouraging growth

Roberta Walton, one of the candidates in the race for Orange County Commission, District 6, believes Pine Hills is well poised to experience a growth spurt and that the services of organizations like SCORE Orlando, which mentors and provides support to small business owners, are essential for continued development of the area.

Disney World raises ticket prices: Magic Kingdom anyone? Pay $99

Walt Disney World has raised its one-day, one-park ticket prices by $4, taking the price of a one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom to $99.

Winter Park firm leads Varsity News Network to close $3M funding round

Led by Arsenal Venture Partners of Winter Park, Florida, Varsity News Network announced that it has raised a Series A venture capital funding round of $3 million.

St. Pete-based LED light company raises $10 million

LumaStream, the leader in end-to-end low-voltage systems for LED lighting, today announced the close of $10M as its first Series B Preferred Equity tranche.

Scott touts $213 million for intermodal station at OIA

Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that $213 million of state funding will go toward building an intermodal station at Orlando International Airport, with half of the monies included in the current budget. The funding is part of a $1.1 billion-dollar expansion in projects of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. The Authority...

How Facebook makes big bucks from fake ‘Likes’ (video)

As traffic to content publishers becomes more and more dominated by social media sharing, everybody wants to understand what's inside the black box that is Facebook's News Feed algorithm.