Retail Developer plans to develop east Orlando site

Weingarten Realty Investors Inc. bought a 4.5-acre east Orlando site for $3 million, the company announced Thursday. Houston-based Weingarten bought the property at the southwest corner of Curry Ford and Dean roads. It is unclear what plans are for the site. Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI) is a real estate investment trust that develops, acquires and manages properties in 22 states. The company's portfolio of 414 properties includes 336 neighborhood and community shopping centers and 78 industrial properties

Orlando Economy Ranks Among Fastest Growing in The Nation

According to new data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Orlando had one of the fastest-growing economies among large metropolitan areas in 2005 despite the downturn in the housing market. Orlando's $81 billion economy ranks as the 19th fastest-growing metropolitain statistical area in the country, with its 8.1 percent increase in gross domestic product from January 2005 to January 2006.
The fundamental driving elements of the local economy still exist, such as its industrial diversity, which means Orlando is still a thriving market -- unlike other areas overly dependent on construction. Bill Seyfried, economics professor at Rollins College's Crummer Graduate School of Business, agrees, saying he anticipates Orlando's future economic growth rate to moderate from a "very strong" 8.1 percent to between 4-5 percent, "which most people would love to be able to have."