The expansion will help the convention center retain its status as one of the largest in the nation. Chicago's McCormick Place encompasses 2.4 million square feet, Las Vegas boasts 1.6 million and Atlanta's World Congress Center has nearly 1.2 million. The Las Vegas and Atlanta facilities also are being expanded.
With the plan approved, the land deals could close as early as this month, putting the new sections of the convention center on track for completion in 2003. Despite widespread support from tourism groups, the project faced an uphill battle because of the cost of the land and competition with the planned World Expo Center in northern Osceola County. After Orange County commissioners approved the expansion by a one-vote margin, outgoing commission Chairwoman Linda Chapin was sanguine about the project she championed. "It's called snatching victory from the jaws of defeat," she proclaimed. - Ken Ibold
HEATHROW - Seagate Software announced it will sell its central Florida computer data-storage division to Veritas Software of Mountain View, Calif., in a deal that could fetch $1.5 billion. The division employs about 400 locally and 800 across the U.S.
LEESBURG - Skybolt Fasteners has moved from Orlando to Leesburg, where it will boost its work force from 26 to 51. Leesburg received a $750,000 state economic development grant to pay for Skybolt's new building at the Leesburg Regional Airport.
MAITLAND - CNA Financial Corp. leased all three buildings in the 310,000-square-foot Maitland Preserve business park. Two of the buildings are complete and the third, with 75,000 square feet, will be finished in April. CNA plans to consolidate 200 workers from other offices in the new complex.
ORLANDO - Sunterra Corp., the timeshare industry's biggest player with 85 resorts in 10 countries, is moving its San Mateo, Calif., headquarters and a Chicago satellite office to a new building in MetroWest. In addition, Sunterra, formerly called Signature Resorts, will lease two office buildings near Lake Ellenor.
After two years of trying to persuade the Federal Aviation Administration a proposed highrise wouldn't conflict with air traffic, Pizzuti Cos. has scaled down the 29-story design that would have been Orlando's tallest building. The main tower, topped by a huge open cube, will be cut to 27 stories and will soar 441 feet, the same height as the SunTrust Center.
Orlando's plans to redevelop the former Naval Training Center have been put on hold after a citizen filed suit against the city's plan to turn the property over to the developer Orlando Partners. The suit contends that other federal government entities should have first crack at the property. New York City-based media and communications company Hearst Corp. plans to move its King Features subsidiary to Orlando, where it joins Hearst subsidiary Reed Brennan Associates. King Features, which distributes syndicated columns and comics such as Blondie and Hagar the Horrible, will be reorganized, with some jobs shifting to Reed Brennan.
Cirrus Logic plans to sell its 40% stake in the Cirent Semiconductor plant in Orlando as part of a half-a-billion-dollar restructuring. Cirrus' involvement in the Cirent plant has been strictly financial since it and partner Lucent Technologies got together in 1995.
Coleman Aerospace Co. won an Air Force contract worth up to $165 million to build long-range target drone missiles. The defense contractor may add 50 to 60 jobs in missile design, engineering and software development. Coleman employs 300 in Orlando and another 900 in Huntsville, Ala.
Universal Studios Recreation Group purchased the Wet 'n Wild chain of water parks. Orlando's Wet 'n Wild, the company's flagship, was the busiest water park in the country last year, with more than 1.3 million visitors.
Disney World and SeaWorld now conduct criminal background checks on all employees after a Disney cook was charged with raping a 16-year-old tourist. Though both investigated security guards and people who handle money, the attack motivated officials to check all employees, a practice at Universal Studios for some time.