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The Orange County Convention Center had its first major Covid-related cancellation on March 5. Since then, Orange County has spent at least $12.3 million designing an expansion of the giant facility.
At the request of a reader, here's a thread of all the weekly payments:
At the request of a reader, here's a thread of all the weekly payments:
Week of March 8: Orange County spent $829,000
Week of March 15: Nothing
Week of March 22: $98,000
Week of March 22: $98,000
Week of March 29: Nothing
Week of April 5: Nothing
Week of April 12: $704,000
Week of April 5: Nothing
Week of April 12: $704,000
Week of April 19: Nothing
Week of April 26: Nothing
Week of May 3: Nothing
Week of May 10: $13,000
Week of April 26: Nothing
Week of May 3: Nothing
Week of May 10: $13,000
Week of May 17: $221,000
Week of May 24: Nothing
Week of May 31: $11,000
Week of May 31: $11,000
Week of June 7: $188,000
Week of June 14: $3.7 million
Week of June 21: $48,000
Week of June 28: $285,000
Week of July 5: $378,000
Week of July 12: Nothing
Week of July 19: $517,000
Week of July 19: $517,000
Week of July 26: $288,000
Week of August 2: $283,000
Week of August 9: $4.8 million
Note 1: These payments are from Orange County's check register (government checkbooks are public record, folks, NEVER FORGET) and include any convention center payments labeled "Multipurpose Venue" or "Grand Concourse" -- the two projects that make up the proposed expansion.
Note 2: The total price tag for the Orange County Convention Center expansion is estimated at $605 million.
But Orange County commissioners voted in May to give themselves the ability to borrow up to $700 million to pay for the project.
But Orange County commissioners voted in May to give themselves the ability to borrow up to $700 million to pay for the project.
Note 3: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has declared the convention center project on hold. But the county continues to spend millions designing it.
Demings says construction won't start until hotel taxes rebound -- and county commissioners re-vote.
Demings says construction won't start until hotel taxes rebound -- and county commissioners re-vote.
Note 4: That last bit -- a future revote -- is why the convention center expansion is one of the big issues at stake in this week's county commission elections, where three of seven incumbents are on the ballot: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-orange-county-commission-election-convention-center-20200804-xcatknmcnjg7jhu54ti7rmhkfu-story.html
Orange County spent $185,000 last week on its proposed convention center expansion:
Orange County spent another $100,000 on its planned convention center expansion this week:
An update to this thread! Orange County just announced it will stop spending money on the convention center expansion (which, records obtained by the Sentinel show, was threatening to balloon over budget): https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-orange-county-stops-convention-center-expansion-20200831-5ypedf2uezhvtlpxd5cvy2qqgu-story.html
