LEESBURG, FL-Property owners in this Lake County city of 16,911 permanent residents are urging the city to create the special area for structures over 50 years old as a magnet for new business, a trigger for new restorations and a lever to increase property values. Leesburg is 45 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando.

ORLANDO-While only 10% of metro Orlando's 28 million-sf office market are wired for dot-com tenants, owners are still asking for large security deposits, advance rent and often declining to pay for improvements, CB Richard Ellis Inc. office-industrial specialist David Murphy tells GlobeSt.com.

ORLANDO-While only 10% of metro Orlando's 28 million-sf office market are wired for dot-com tenants, owners are still asking for large security deposits, advance rent and often declining to pay for improvements, CB Richard Ellis Inc. office-industrial specialist David Murphy tells GlobeSt.com.

ORLANDO-GoCo-op Inc. of suburban Maitland, FL is laying off 30 workers or 20% of its 150-person staff after orders for its purchasing systems technology for restaurants and lodges slowed to a crawl.

TAVARES, FL-A freshman Lake County commissioner charges building permits take up to six weeks; high-profile commercial projects often get back-burner attention; and land-use planners sometimes make arbitrary decisions contrary to the area's land-use regulations.

ORLANDO-The publicly traded wholesaler of construction and industrial materials hires Tom Morgan, CEO of enfoTrust Networks to replace A. Steward Hall Jr. who is resigning to go into the internet insurance business with his son.

ORLANDO-The locally based builder of radio systems that connect office tower communications systems through high-speed wireless rings expects first-quarter revenue to fall in the $7.5 million to $8.5 million range.

ORLANDO-The East Central Florida Planning Council here is starting to receive paperwork on at least three mega mixed-use ventures whose development costs will easily top $1 billion each, planners say.