According to the report, asking rents will gain 3.5% to $19.51per sf, while effective rents rise 4.2% to $17.67 per sf. Thereport also notes that supply is expected to exceed demand in theshort-term, which could lead to increased vacancies. However, thebalance between supply and demand could reach greater equilibriumbefore the year ends.

According to a CB Richard Ellis Q4 Orlando retail market report,average asking rents at neighborhood centers are $17.27 per sf,specialty centers $30 per sf, community centers $16.57 per sf,power centers $29.09 per sf, super regional centers $32.96 per sfand mixed-use center $27.08.

Part of the strength of the Orlando retail market is due to thetourism industry. According to the CBRE report, tourism taxesincreased 12.3% from the third quarter to $13.6 million in thefourth quarter. There were an estimated 48.9 million visitors toOrlando in 2007, a number that is expected to increase by 3.4% to50.6 million in 2008. "This strength is due to the weak dollarattracting foreign visitors to the Orlando area by giving themgreater buying power," the report states.