Upcoming Events
Get excited everyone! Our first committee week leading up to the January 14th start of the 2020 legislative session took place this week. The big news was the designation of Representative Chris Sprowls, a Palm Harbor Republican, as Speaker-Designate. This means he will be the Speaker of the House for the 2021 – 2022 term. He highlighted a number of important things during his speech, but the most pertinent news for REALTORS® was his remarks concerning the environment. Not only did he reinforce the importance of protecting and preserving our natural resources, but he also called on lawmakers to “stop being afraid of words like ‘climate change’ and ‘sea level rise.’” He added that “Floridians want good jobs, clean water, and ample, sandy beaches, and they want to know we are working on practical ways to mitigate the risk of flooding in our coastal communities.”
The other news of the week that is important to REALTORS® were the updates provided to legislators on affordable housing. There were three separate legislative committees that received updates and information on this topic. The House Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee heard presentations from the Florida Housing Finance Coalition and the Florida League of Cities. Both groups provided information on the subject and encouraged lawmakers to fully fund the State and Local Government Housing Trust Funds to help them be as successful as possible. The House Business & Professions Subcommittee heard from a variety of “tiny home” manufacturers and had a panel discussion on the subject. The main takeaway from this meeting was that these builders need lawmakers to break down the barriers of state and local regulation of tiny homes so they can be more accessible to Floridians. Lastly, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development heard presentations from the Florida Housing Coalition and the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. Both groups gave detailed breakdowns of Florida’s affordable housing needs and encouraged full funding of the State and Local Government Housing Trust Funds. Overall, it was a very busy start to the committee week process filled with many productive meetings with legislators. Stay tuned for my next legislative update which will be on Friday, October 18th, following the conclusion of the next committee week. Sincerely, Danielle Scoggins Vice President of Public Policy Florida Realtors®
Development Ventures Group (DEVEN) and Ustler Development Inc., in a public-private partnership with the City of Orlando, have delivered UnionWest at Creative Village on the University of Central Florida’s campus.
UnionWest is a 15-story building with 644 student housing beds, 100,000 square feet of academic space, 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail space and a 600-space parking garage.
Construction on the $105 million development began in October 2017.
The building is located at the corner of West Livingston Street and North Terry Avenue in downtown Orlando, which grants access to both University of Central Florida and Valencia College students.
Five of the six ground-floor retail locations in UnionWest are leased. Tenants include Vera Asian, Addition Financial, Subway, Dunkin’ and Qdoba Mexican Grill. The student housing portion opened in time for the fall 2019 semester at 97 percent occupancy.
Source: RE Business
A Fort Lauderdale developer bought nearly 1,400 undeveloped acres in Osceola County, paving the way for more residential and commercial development in Central Florida.
BTI Partners' Edgewater Property Florida Holdings LLC purchased the land — which is along the west side of Florida’s Turnpike from Kissimmee Park Road to the Three Lakes Toll Plaza — on Aug. 27 for $40 million, or roughly $28,571 per acre. It's likely the largest price for a land deal this year in the Orlando area. The sellers were entities related to the Whaley family.
Development may start in mid-2020. The land has approvals for roughly 5,000 residential units and 2 million square feet of commercial uses.
"We are preparing to make similar pointed land investments across the country and will be significantly increasing the number of homesites we supply to the homebuilding industry,” Justin Onorato, chief investment officer at BTI Partners, said in a prepared statement.
A development of this size likely will deliver more affordable housing to the area, said Brad Parker, a land expert with Longwood-based Southern Realty Enterprises Inc., who wasn't involved in the deal. That's important in Orlando where nearly half of the City Beautiful’s households are cost burdened, meaning they’re spending at least 30% of their income on housing.
In addition, metro Orlando has just 13 affordable, available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households. Orlando is also among the most expensive housing markets in the U.S.
But large residential developments keeps costs down for builders, which in turn can sell homes for more affordable prices.
"Everyone would like to have Isleworth-type communities,” Parker said. “But for the health of the marketplace, we’re going to have to continue to produce entry-level housing.”
Meanwhile, BTI Partners continues to build at The Grove Resort & Water Park, a large condo-hotel property west of Walt Disney World. The developer filed plans in June for a new condo-hotel property just north of its existing towers on 5.4 undeveloped acres. The documents show the company wants to build a 160-room hotel with 9,800 square feet of support facility space and parking, as well as a swimming pool and more.
Source: OBJ
Many of our members need to meet specific CE credits by end of September so we thought we would post a few resources you may not be aware of.
Florida Realtors Offices-Southeast Orlando
This case study-driven course provides agents, brokers, students, and allied professionals with an understanding of the skills, resources, and business practices that pave the way for success in commercial real estate. Learn how to analyze leases and investment value, and develop a plan to kick-start your career. Foundations for Success is not just about how the commercial real estate business works, it is about working the business.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS COURSE
We also have a commercial focused courses available for our members via our VANED agreement.
CLICK HERE TO REVIEW DETAILS OF EACH COURSE AND REGISTER
Florida Realtors® recognized a dedicated CCIM, ALC, and member of CFCAR as recipient of their annual Commercial Realtor Achievement Award on Thursday, August 22nd during the state association’s annual Convention & Trade Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.
The Commercial Realtor Achievement Award honors a Realtor’s lifetime of contributions to commercial activities at the local, state, national and community levels. Benjamin Crosby, CCIM, ALC, a member of the East Polk County Association of Realtors, received the 2019 Commercial Realtor Achievement Award.
He also is a member of the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors and the Florida Gulf Coast Commercial Association of Realtors, as well as the Greater Lake and Sumter Counties, Osceola County and Tallahassee associations.
With 37 years in the real estate industry, Crosby has served his local association in numerous ways, from teaching courses to chairing its Commercial, RPAC and Professional Standards committees, and serving as a former president of the organization.
On the state level, he teaches for the Land Institute and developed several courses for continuing education (CE) credit used by various local associations. In 2010, he received the Realtors Land Institute’s Florida Land Realtor of the Year Award as well as its Excellence in Instruction Award. He served as president of the Florida CCIM (Certified Commercial Institute Member) Chapter in 2012 and has been a trustee for Florida Realtors Political Action Committee. He has been a respected member and teacher of the REALTORS® Land Institute since 2004 having earned the Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) designation.
A long-time and passionate supporter of RPAC (the Realtors Political Action Committee) on the local, state and national levels, Crosby’s name appears on the National Association of Realtors’ D.C. “RPAC Hall of Fame.”
It's a fair question!
Who has time for all this networking and business development stuff anyway?
“In my office, we barely have time to take care of our clients. My family thinks all I do is work -- and now you want me to go out and network? When did I last get to do something just for me, anyway -- 2003? “
That’s pretty much what one CRE agent said. Ouch!
It’s a fair question, why participate, why connect, why network? Why bother? Why indeed.
It’s true… some CRE pros want the designation but are simply not interested in being a local member of any group. We thank them for their contributions and respect their choices. For majority of the rest of us, Realtor-chartered organizations and memberships in designation-related associations connect us.
Being a member of these associations allows us to grow our talent, our voice and support our community’s economic strength – and being a member of CFCAR is no different.
Thanks to the friendships and business connections I have made through the many CRE focused groups and organizations in our area, my own small brokerage business is growing and thriving! As well-connected as I have become over the years in this industry, I truly don’t think this would have been the case if I wasn’t networking and active in these professional groups.
And along the way, I have learned tons -- about how friendships can carry you through dark days; how a fellow commercial agent can push you to get back on your feet and dig deep during tough times; and how getting out and spending time with fellow industry professionals can be the key to your success.
Network and you will learn best practices; have work referred to you; allow you to stay on top of changes in your market. You will be inspired, refreshed and uplifted. And when you start to share some of your own hard won wisdom with others you will feel something exceptional. Just try it this summer, you will see!
Who has time for all this networking business? Who doesn’t?
CRE pros have their choice of numerous great events all across Central Florida over the next several quarters:
I hope to see you soon at one of these upcoming opportunities to grow, learn and do business. And when I see you, please be sure to let me know what type of leads I can send your way!
Carol Tanner, CCIM
President, Convergent Commercial and
2019 President, Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors (CFCAR)*
*CFCAR MISSION: The mission of the Central Florida Commercial Association of REALTORS® is to protect and promote the interests of its members, provide the education, business development and recognition opportunities that will drive their success, and to make a positive, lasting impact in the communities we serve.
The Central Florida Commercial Association of REALTORS® is the premier association for REALTORS® and professionals in all segments of the commercial real estate industry who ascribe to the highest standards of ethical conduct.
Through the growth and development of its members, the Central Florida Commercial Association of REALTORS® will advance the professional practice of commercial real estate and the prosperity of the community.
Orlando Health once again is picking up land in Osceola County.
The $3.8 billion nonprofit health care provider closed on the purchase of 6.3 acres next to its $32 million, 60,000-square-foot Orlando Health Emergency Department & Medical Pavilion – Osceola County at 1001 E. Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee.
Orlando Health bought the land for $5.2 million from Orlando-based Deerfield Land Corp. and Tupperware Services Inc., entities related to Kissimmee-based Tupperware Brands Corp. (NYSE: TUP)
“Osceola County’s response to the existing Orlando Health emergency room and medical pavilion has been tremendous," Orlando Health spokeswoman Kena Lewis told Orlando Business Journal. "Orlando Health will use this additional land acquisition to serve the future health care needs of the community."
Orlando Health did not reveal how it will use the land. Its Osceola emergency room and pavilion's future phase 2 eventually will include a second 60,000-square-foot medical pavilion, which typically includes medical office space. It's possible the land eventually may include a patient tower, although that hasn't been mentioned yet.
Tupperware Services previously sold Orlando Health 14.3 acres for the emergency department in 2017 for $5.42 million.
The health care company has been buying up other land in Osceola, as well, closing on the purchase of a 28-acre parcel at 8011 Osceola Polk Line Road in Davenport near the Polk County line in May for $14.4 million. That Orlando Health property will be part of a 108-acre, mixed-use development called Reunion Village. That project, owned by Encore Capital Management, currently is seeking hotels, shops, a grocery store and other concepts to be part of a 200,000-square-foot retail center, according to a LandQwest listing on the proposed development.
Meanwhile, Orlando Health has locked up several other Central Florida properties in the past year:
Orlando Health's eight Central Florida hospitals have a total of 3,300-plus beds. It has the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and children, and is a teaching hospital system. Its hospitals are: Orlando Regional Medical Center, Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, South Seminole Hospital, Health Central Hospital, the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, South Lake Hospital and St. Cloud Regional Medical Center. It also has a partnership with Care Spot with 11 urgent care centers in the region. Orlando Health has several cancer centers, freestanding ERs and other medical facilities. It is one of the region's largest employers, with 23,000 workers.
A growing number of coworking spaces in downtown Orlando has forced the closure of one of the city’s original places for budding entrepreneurs to set up low-cost offices.
The downtown coworking space Catalyst will shut down Wednesday after five years, bringing to a close one of the first startup-dedicated spaces in the region.
Founder Dennis Pape said he was “saddened and disappointed” but that the Catalyst’s closure was “not a total surprise,” as he said the city will see its coworking space grow from 40,000 square feet in 2017 to more than 240,000 square feet early next year.
Catalyst has served as a local meeting site for tech and entrepreneurial events like Orlando Tech and Beer, Florida Funders and Orlando Healthcare Innovators.
When Catalyst debuted, it was one of three locally run coworking spaces downtown, along with Colab and Canvs.
But in the past five years, spaces with ownership groups outside of Central Florida have been buying up empty space downtown.
New York City-based WeWork is expected to open a three-floor, 70,000-square-foot space at the SunTrust Center, 200 S. Orange Ave., early next year.
In addition, the entire 13-floor Angebilt Building was bought early this year by Chicago’s Novel Coworking.
Pape said his building’s owners have been accommodating as he decided to shut down Catalyst. Officials with the building’s broker said the lease for the space expires Wednesday.
“Catalyst opened to create a welcoming collaborative workspace community for Orlando entrepreneurs, scale ups, creatives, independent workers and others seeking to grow their careers and businesses by working in and taking advantage of serendipitous collisions and resources in our dynamic workspace,” Pape said in a release.
The space, on the fifth floor of 1 S. Orange Ave., has hosted more than 100 companies during its time.
Pape, who said market conditions forced Catalyst’s closure, did not reach out to renew his lease, which had initially been set to expire at the end of August.
“I think while Dennis was a front-runner in coworking in Orlando, other companies have come in and were more successful,” said Brian Wilson, manager of One South Orange’s management group. “We wish nothing but the best for Dennis."
Pape has been part of a local effort to rebuild Startup Weekend Orlando, a weekend-long business building competition that has sent startups on to win national competitions for two consecutive years.
Catalyst’s signature program, VentureScaleUp, was a three-month mentorship-based program that ran 40 startups through a sort of boot camp for entrepreneurs.
In a Facebook group dedicated to Orlando’s tech community, local advocate Josh Murdock said Pape “helped create this entrepreneur tech community and supported it when others questioned it.”
Aaron Gray, managing director of the commercial real estate firm JLL, which oversees the property, said coworking space continues to be a viable option for the site.
“On a macro scale, we are strong believers of flexible workspace and the role it will play in the macro office environment, not just in Orlando but around the globe,” he said.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate hosted the 4th annual I-4 Commercial Corridor Conference earlier this month at Florida Polytechnic University. The event featured expert speakers in local, regional and state economics and development.
The brokerage also announced a new affiliation with the SVN Shared Value Network®, a globally recognized commercial real estate brand with over 200 offices worldwide, and its SVN Florida team with offices statewide. Additionally, the company has joined forces with Saunders Real Estate to become one brokerage, SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate.
The I-4 Corridor’s demographic and economic growth characteristics are among the leading in the nation. Gary M. Ralston, CCIM, SIOR, managing director and broker of SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate opened the event with an overview of the region’s demographic strength.
Ralston noted that:
The I-4 Corridor is the demographic center of Florida.
Over 250 real estate agents, investors, and business professionals attended to learn the latest news and trends associated with the I-4 Corridor, including insights and analysis from top market experts. Dr. Randy K. Avent, president of Florida Polytechnic University, was the featured luncheon keynote speaker. He spoke of the university’s role in creating the high-tech workforce needed to ensure the area’s economic future.
Taking advantage of the university’s classroom setting, the conference offered 10 interactive breakout sessions led by 37 panelist experts.
The sessions included specialized discussions on various topics including:
Dr. Randy K. Avent, president of Florida Polytechnic University, addressed conference attendees.
The panel experts included:
Airports & Economic Impact
Entertainment
I-4 Plans & Brightline
Bob O’Malley of Virgin Train USA/Brightline, provided updates about the company’s expansion to Orlando and Tampa.
Land Panel
Opportunity Zones
Commercial Lending
FDOT/Suntrax Update
Industrial
Power Companies
To learn more about the I-4 Commercial Corridor Conference visit i4commercial.com.
Source: SRD Commercial
Lennar Corp. — the largest homebuilder in the U.S. — wants to build a massive resort-style development south of a $500 million-plus project near I-Drive.
The Miami-based company (NYSE: LEN) plans to build 240 condos, 200 townhomes and 62 single-family homes on 68 of 77.3 acres south of the mixed-use Dezerland car museum and entertainment complex, according to records obtained from the city of Orlando. Orlando Business Journal previously reported an unnamed buyer was under contract for 68 acres for a “very large resort type of project."
Lennar couldn't be reached for comment. In addition, Miami-based Southern Hill Real Estate Inc. President Randall Hill, who represents the landowner, Coral Gables-based I Drive Investors LLC, declined to comment.
The Lennar project may include a park, several lakes, pools, a lazy river component and more. Lennar, along with its engineering team, held a meeting with the city of Orlando on June 5.
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