Here’s our rundown of the top ten things you need to know this week in Downtown Orlando area news. Sponsored by Olde Town Brokers.
- SunRail will begin testing late-night service tonight. The Florida Department of Transportation has not set an end date for the test, but will continuously evaluate its ridership. As Mike Lafferty pointed out, this new night train schedule will benefit some, not others.
- City Council passed an updated amendment to the vehicles-for-hire ordinance which would allow companies like Uber and Lyft to legally operate within the City of Orlando. These changes will be effective February 1st. Mayor Dyer has said the City will work with Uber, Lyft, and local taxi companies to see if any additional changes are needed.
- UCF and Valencia launch downtown campus website. The $210 million Downtown Campus will open as a part of Creative Village in 2017.
- Divas Dinner Theatre opens in Mills 50. The “world-famous Sunday Gospel Brunch” is back with the opening of Divas Dinner Theatre.
- Alpine Cafe brings Blue Bottle Coffee to Ivanhoe Village. The cafe plans to begin offering sandwiches with locally grown ingredients sometime in the new year.
- Mixed-use Lucerne Promenade planned for Downtown South. The plans include multifamily housing, a hotel, and space for an urban grocery store.
- New sign crowns Cameo Theater Building in Mills 50. The restored marquee with casino-style lighting will be turned on at an official unveiling in January.
- Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen opens cafes inside DPAC. Scott Joseph reports that Barnies Coffee Kitchen opened the first of two cafes in the Performing Arts Center. The second cafe will open this spring.
- The Orlando Magic become the first NBA team to offer Apple Pay. The payment option is available at the Amway Center’s Levy concession and Orlando Magic retail locations.
- My Last Post: Introducing new leadership team at Bungalower. Bungalower founder Matt Broffman has been hired as the City of Orlando’s Director of Innovation. While a silent partner, he will continue to serve as a technical advisor to Bungalower. Brendan O’Connor is our new Editor-in-Chief and Sarah Elbadri is our new Business Manager.
Get our Top Ten in your inbox every Monday morning by signing up for our free newsletter.