Downtown Orlando

Downtown Orlando is the heart of Central Florida’s diverse and growing economy. It is the hub for finance, government and commerce.  Under the leadership of Mayor Dyer, the City serves these industries by creating a business and quality of life environment that supports the various industries in the Downtown core and the entire region.  Downtown Orlando will continue to create, retain, and attract high-wage and high-value jobs that grow the economy.

CORPORATE AND DIVISION HEADQUARTERS

Downtown Orlando is the ideal location for corporate and division headquarters.  More than 65,000 professionals energize Downtown Orlando on a daily basis.  Downtown Orlando also boasts 13 million square feet of office space in the urban core.  It is the dominant Class A office supply in the Central Florida region.  The cluster of professional services, large labor force, and proximity to government services are key contributors to the presence of major corporations in the community.  Major City Of Orlando employers include the following:

• Air Tran Airways
• Bank of America Corporation
• Bright House Networks
• CNL Financial Group
• Coca-Cola Bottling Company
• Darden Restaurants Inc.
• Dynetech Corporation
• Florida Hospital
• Frito-Lay
• HD Supply Inc.
• Jet Blue
• Mears Transportation Group
• Oracle Corporation
• Orlando Health
• Orlando Sentinel Communications
• SunTrust Banks, Inc.
• Tupperware Corporation
• Universal Orlando Resort
• Wachovia Corporation

Through substantial economic development efforts, under the vision of Mayor Dyer, Downtown Orlando’s reputation as a strong commercial center will be expanded and solidified.

FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Downtown Orlando like other downtowns serves its role as the home for traditional business services. Law firms, financial institutions, and other professional services are abundant in Downtown.  Several prominent professional services include the following:

DIGITAL AND EMERGING MEDIA

Orlando is one of the 12 largest digital media clusters in the nation thanks to the region’s entertainment and military sectors. Orlando has a $15.7 billion modeling and simulation industry and Downtown Orlando will continue to serve as a hub for technological innovation.  Companies like I.D.E.A.S. and 360 ED deliver cutting edge technology and are magnets for growth.  Downtown Orlando is home to UCF’S FLORIDA INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ACADEMY, a graduate-level game development degree program.  

House of Moves, the world's most experienced motion capture service studio, produces the highest quality motion capture data for the world's largest entertainment production companies, also calls Downtown Orlando home.  The City of Orlando's efforts to cultivate this industry is represented by the future project known as Creative Village, a major economic development initiative to redevelop approximately 90 acres of Downtown land into a thriving mixed-use development anchored by the digital media industry.

RETAIL AND ENTERTAINMENT

Downtown Orlando has grown by leaps and bounds.  One of many efforts underway is the re-establishment of the area as a major Retail & Entertainment destination and the continued work to sustain and grow existing businesses. Because tourism is the state’s leading industry, there are several opportunities to increase Downtown Orlando’s market share.  Of note, the Community Venues plan is the largest public building project in Central Florida history.  The project is comprised of a new Performing Arts Center, Events Center, and renovated Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.   These major attractions are projected to generate $10 billion in economic output and support 7,500 jobs annually.  The Downtown Development Board has also launched a major effort to expand the retail offering in Downtown Orlando.

LIFE SCIENCES

Expansion and growth of the biomedical technology industry is a major initiative of the City of Orlando.  The area is home to leading research institutions and private companies driving innovation.  Additionally, Downtown Orlando is flanked by leading hospitals—Orlando Health and Florida Hospital.  Although the Lake Nona area of the City will serve as the primary hub for future biomedical development within the City, Downtown Orlando supports this industry sector by providing access to a range of support businesses.