Orlando’s Skirt Peeking Bandit Arrested

ORLANDO, FL – Deputies for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man, James Enos after he was identified on store video footage taken on January 6 at Super Target Waterford Lakes Town Center on Alafaya Trail.  Enos had been free on bond from a prior arrest stemming from an incident at a Home Depot nearby.

The Skirt Bandit

Witnesses reported seeing Enos use his cell phone to take pictures or video under a woman’s skirt at a Home Depot in Orange County.  Deputies said Enos would drop his cell phone camera in his basket and then would carry it around the store and stand behind unsuspecting women.

Enos said he was looking for a “toy for his son”

When confronted by store security related to the Target incident, Enos said he was looking for a toy for his son, but the employee noticed the camera light was still on. Security cameras also caught him taking out the phone’s memory card, putting it in his mouth and walking out of the Target. Once outside the store, deputies said Enos hid the card in his pocket. He was never arrested after the Target employee told him to leave the store, until deputies said he did it again on February 27 at Home Depot. There, deputies said a man caught Enos taking pictures up his wife’s skirt.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies were called to the Home Depot Store; Alafaya Trail in Orlando on Feb. 27 after a man said he saw another man place his Cell Phone in a basket and move very close to the a woman who was wearing a skirt.  The witness said the man looked around to make sure no one was watching. Deputies said the men told them that Enos immediately took off and began pressing buttons on his phone. The witness watched him jump into bushes in an attempt to hide, deputies said.

Enos was charged with video voyeurism in the Target incident

Enos was arrested Thursday and charged with video voyeurism in the Target incident. He posted a $2,500 bond and has been released from jail, but a judge ordered one of his bond conditions to be that he stay away from video recording equipment and Deputies confiscated Enos’ cell phone.  Sheriff’s Office forensics team will be searching the phone and any other items confiscated.

Enos faces a misdemeanor video voyeurism charges; he is the general manager of the Orlando Vista Hotel on Apopka Vineland Road.  It would be a safe assumption that his employment could be referred to in the past-tense.

Are the Banks getting into the home-ownership business in Orlando?

The so called recovery doesn’t seem to be happening and if you have been watching, the real-estate prices have been on a fairly steady decline since the bubble burst.   If you are thinking of buying some “bargain” real-estate you might want to think twice.   According to ForeclosureRadar.com, the percentage of lenders seriously delinquent and in some stage of foreclosure is over 15%, yet the percentage of properties being sold for the same period is running around 1%.

The Foreclosure Crisis - On hold?

Serious delinquencies up,  foreclosure starts up, but sales amount to a tiny fraction.

So what is happening with the other 14% of the properties that should be being sold each quarter?   They are being added to a massive shadow inventory because the banks are not willing to flood the market and crash prices.  The banks are systematically dumping at a controlled rate keeping home prices at a slow, but steady decline.

Is the Bank waiting on purpose?

A friend of mine recently admitted filing bankruptcy, which was completed in December of 2009.  His family gave up the house in the foreclosure.  It has been 13 months since his bankruptcy was finalized, so as far as I know that means he doesn’t even own the house anymore. He doesn’t receive any bill from the mortgage company and he doesn’t have a clue when he will be forced to move out.

My friend isn’t complaining, it is allowing him to save cash for when he has to find a place to live.  He assumes he will need to put a very large security deposit to rent a house since his credit is shot.  I know several other people in my neighborhood living in their houses waiting to be kicked out.  Many houses are vacant, the prior owners moved out because the cost of keeping the house up was more than renting a small apartment.  Many houses are becoming in a poor state of repair which I am afraid will further hurt the so called recovery.

Predictions of home price decreases for 2011 – Credible Sources

1. Forbes. A report from leading news source Forbes predicts that home prices may fall another 20% in 2011.
2. Moody’s Analytics. Chief Moody’s Analytics Economist Mark Zandi expects declines but not as badly as Forbes estimates.  Zandi predicts approximately an 8% decline through the third quarter of 2011.
3. The Wall Street Journal.  Nick Timiraos reports that economists and housing analysts predict home prices will bottom in 2011 but not to expect a recovery until sometime the following year.
4. TIME Magazine. An article in TIME says that we haven’t quite reached the bottom but it’s almost there.  Time didn’t expect a recovery until as late as 2013.ost there.
5. Warren Buffet for Berkshire Hathaway. Early in the year investor Warren Buffet was predicting that the housing market problems would be behind us by 2011.  Many sources are saying he was too optimistic.
6. Zillow. Chief Economist Stan Humphries is on board with Time and WSJ that we are close to an impending bottom of the housing market. He notes that the rebound will be slow and offers no prediction about when the market will be back on track.

How many people do you know that have lost a job and stopped paying the mortgage?

In Central Florida the number of people on unemployment and who have stopped paying the mortgage to use money for bare necessities like water, electricity and food is alarmingly high.  Five years ago I didn’t know of a single person who was having trouble financially and now the number is probably close to 50% of the people I know– and my circle of friends are mostly middle class families who had modest incomes of maybe $150,000 yearly and houses that sold for $350-450K when things were good.

I tend to be a realist so don’t want to admit how bad I think things are.  I’ve read several predictions of “mid-level” priced could see a 30% drop in 2011 if shadow inventory is dumped, particularly areas hardest hit like Florida, California and Nevada

Do you know of any strange situations like I’ve described?  If so please share them.

Here is a link back to the article where I found much of this information.

http://dailybail.com/home/national-average-492-days-from-default-to-foreclosure.html?source=patrick.net#siteTitleWrapper

There have been a lot of breaking stories in the aftermath of the Bears loss to the Packers today at Soldier field in the NFC championship game.  Any die-hard Bears fan like myself must have a lot of respect for Brian Urlacher, he has been an overachiever and in my humble opinion, the heart-and-soul of the Chicago Bears lately.

I have to give it up to the Green Bay Packers for playing a good game, and believe me this wasn’t easy to say.  That being said, I have to say that I’ve never been as disgusted watching a Bear game as I was today.  Jay Cutler plays with zero emotion, and maybe the guy is out there trying but he doesn’t have me convinced and from the look on his face I don’t think he really cares what I think or anyone in the city of Chicago thinks for that matter.

So, the media is swarming Urlacher making him out to be the bad guy.  Any Bear fan can see for themselves how tough Cutler is, we don’t need to hear if from Urlacher or anyone else.

Some of the more colorful blog posts:

Urlacher thinks of Cutler as a….

It is rumored that Urlacher called Jay Cutler a pussy, as reported by Pro Football Talk.

Wade told our pal Paul Allen of KFAN within the hour that, during an offseason trip to Vegas with Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, Urlacher expressed a not-so-flattering opinion of new Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

Basically, Wade said that Urlacher said that Cutler is a “pussy.”

As you would expect Bears fans were upset that PFT reported the story in the first place:

The Bobby-Wade-said-Brian-Urlacher-called-Jay-Cutler-a-pussy story, and now I’ve read some tweets saying that Urlacher may have said Cutler “has a pussy” and that he would never say “he is a pussy”.

As far as I can tell, Urlacher and Cutler are about as opposite as you can get so I could understand how they might not get along.  Urlacher has been an over-achiever and Cutler… well, I don’t have to tell you.

Please share your comments!

Quality Web Hosting at Introductory Prices – Any Recommendations?

Advice Needed

I am two days away from hosting expiration, and the cost is too high to justify right now.  Hostmonster.com is a great hosting company with whom I’ve been with for many years, however the renewal prices seem to have gone up a lot.  Maybe I was on a long introductory period but it is almost twenty dollars times six months.

Primary Goals of New Hosting Provider:

1. Move two domains (one site and two blogs) including the MySQL databases and data.

Orlando 411 Travel and Relocation Directory

The DisplacedGuy Blog

Orlando 411 Travel and Relocation Blog

2. Introductory Rate for 6 months minimum

3. Windows based preferred IF the WordPress blogs and PHP will work otherwise UNIX based is fine.

4. Good Customer Service

5. Reliable Service – I’ve been with Hostmonster for many years so am looking for a long term relationship.

Timeframe – By Jan 3, 2011 – My hostmonster hosting expires on Jan 3, 2011 so I need to have all domains transferred by then or with as few down days as possible.

Any suggestions welcomed.  I added a donate button, however the amount needed is pretty high so I don’t anticipate raising enough to stay at hostmonster.  If you do donate and the site goes down, I will refund your donation.  If I receive more money than needed then I’ll refund it on a proportional basis.  It’s not my style to ask for help but hostmonster has me between a rock and a hard spot.

Sincerely,

Rich

Devin Hester set a NFL record for returns in just five seasons

I have to let the cat out of the bag.

I was born in Elmhurst, Illinois and am a die hard Bears fan, but I love Orlando and like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next best.  And I like the University of South Florida Bulls

Here are some highlights from the game.

The Chicago Bears‘ Devin Hester finally set the NFL record for combined return touchdowns when he scored on a 64-yard punt return in the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at TCF Bank Stadium

Hester has returned 10 punts and four kickoffs for TDs. His 108-yard return of a missed field goal in 2006 and a kick return for a touchdown in the 2007 Super Bowl does not count in that total. With 10 punt returns for touchdowns, Hester is tied with Eric Metcalf for the most in NFL history.

Chicago coach Lovie Smith began an interesting question after the Monday night’s 42-27 Bears’ win over the Rams. Lovie thought that specialist Devin Hester should be considered for running offensive rookie of the year.

Devin has worked with Deion Sanders another of those magical players that make things look easy.  Hester held his hand to his head twice before getting to the endzone for the score, even he is blown away.

Hester had returns of 94 and 96 yards against the Rams, both for touchdowns. That set the NFL record for six returns for TD’s

“The guy is unbelievable,” Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. “I don’t ever know what to say. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. He’s got six now for the season. The guy’s awesome. I would definitely not kick to him if I was one of the special teams coaches.”

The Bears have clinched a playoff spot, now with a 10-4 record.

There are about 400 cities in Florida so choosing the right city for your family can be a big project. How do you know which city is right for you? Are you most concerned about entertainment or a good school district? Do you want to live near some of Florida’s many attractions or do you prefer a city that is a little more peaceful? Every Orlando area city has something to offer, the choice is up to you.

Magnolia Square. Sanford Historic District

Sanford

One of the largest Orlando area cities, Sanford’s population is over 50,000. Sanford’s average yearly income is not much compared to other Orlando area cities. The average  is only about $37,000. Only 14% of Sanford’s residents over 25 years old have a Bachelor’s degree or any further education. The most popular occupations for women in Sanford are educational services and health care, while the most popular occupations for men are building and maintenance occupations. Sanford is a relatively diverse city and is home to more African American and Hispanic residents than the state average. Sanford is a city known for its diversity and its history.

Sanford’s historic district is one of the city’s main attractions. Being one of the most historic cities in Florida, Sanford’s residents take pride in the gorgeous historic district in downtown Sanford. The historic district is home to some of the oldest buildings in Florida. Small shops and restaurants are the gathering places of many of Sanford’s residents and visitors. There are unique clothing shops, used bookstores, charming restaurants and beautiful views of Lake Monroe. City Hall is mere footsteps away from Lake Monroe, which plays host to boats of all kinds and delicious seafood restaurants. Sanford’s historic district holds events for the community including a monthly street party called “Alive after 5.” Those with an interest in history would be wise to consider living in Sanford.

Winter Park

Winter Park is an urban city in Orange County. It has a population of about 28,500. Winter Park is a pretty affluent city. Its population’s average yearly income is around $60,000 and the price of houses is generally higher than in other Orlando area cities. Over half of Winter Park’s population over 25 years old has at least Bachelor’s degree. The most common occupations are professional, scientific, and health care services. While Winter Park has a lot to offer as far as art and shopping go, it is not a very diverse city. Around 82% of winter Park’s population is Caucasian.

If you’re looking for a city with a wide range of ethnicities, Winter Park may not be the place for you. However, if its art, parks or shopping you’re interested in Winter Park may be a good fit.

Park Avenue, Winter Park

For one weekend every year, the anticipated Winter Park Art Festival amazes art enthusiasts. The Winter Park Art Festival is one of the most prestigious outdoor art festivals in the nation. The festival displays a wide variety of art categories and is attended by over 300,000 people. It includes entertainment in addition to some of the most awe-inspiring art ever seen. In addition to the Art Festival, Winter Park is home to numerous art museums such as the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art and the Cornell Fine Arts Museum.

Many Florida residents head to Winter Park for a day of shopping and dining. Winter Park features mostly upscale shops and restaurants and great places to gather with friends or meet fellow patrons. If you’re looking for a place to shop with a community, the Winter Park Farmer’s Market is the place to go. Every Saturday from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, local vendors sell their plants, bakery goods, produce and art.

Lake Mary

Lake Mary

Lake Mary is a small Seminole County city with a population of about 15,000. An extremely affluent city, Lake Mary’s average yearly income is almost $82,000. The  median value of homes in Lake Mary is about $391,000, over $1oo,ooo greater than Florida’s median home value. Lake Mary is, however, lacking in diversity. 85% of its residents are Caucasian. About  40% of residents over 25 years old have a Bachelor’s degree and Lake Mary’s most popular occupations are professional occupations.

Lake Mary is a city for those looking for a small, quiet city with upscale houses, stores and restaurants. If you’re looking for a good education for your child, Lake Mary may be the place for you. Lake Mary is ranked 60th out of 280 Florida City School ratings.

Lake Mary is a fast-growing city. Its location is a prime choice for many businesses and features beautiful residential communities. Because of its safety, sense of community and good job and education opportunities, Lake Mary is ranked by CNN/Money Magazine as the #1 small town in which to live in Florida.

Longwood

The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes. Longwood Florida

A large Orlando area city, Longwood is home to over 60,000 people. Longwood’s average yearly income is around $61,000. The most common occupations in Longwood are in construction and health care. Longwood is not a particularly diverse city as 80% of the residents are Caucasian, however, 11% are Hispanic. Longwood boasts one of the best school districts in Florida. Out of 280

Florida cities, Longwood’s schools are ranked #49 and there are 7 private schools in Longwood. Although Longwood has 7 private schools, there are no private school for high school students.

For those interested in leisure as well as education, Longwood is the place to be. In addition to its educational excellence, Longwood has at least 10 golf courses within 15 miles of the city. There are many places for recreation including trails and parks for biking, camping and a number of other activities.

Oviedo

Oviedo is a reasonably sized city with a population of almost 33,000. Like Lake Mary, Oviedo has a very high average yearly income and median home value. The most popular occupations are professional occupations and educational services. Oviedo is more diverse than the other affluent cities. About 13% of residents are Hispanic and about 8% are African American.

UCF. Oviedo Florida

Oviedo has an abundance of choices for those who are active. There are numerous golf courses and fitness centers. At the Black Hammock Adventures on Lake Jessup, visitors can take an unforgettable airboat ride at speeds up to 45 mph. Nature enthusiasts can visit the Lucas Nursery Butterfly Encounter.

Entertainment is not all that Oviedo offers its residents. Oviedo also happens to be the highest ranked Orland area city for schools. Ranked 21 out of 280 cities, Oviedo offers a great education for kids. Not only do kids have an opportunity to be educated in Oviedo, highschool graduates have the opportunity to attend the University of South Florida

Which Central Florida City is for You?

Every Orlando metro city has its benefits and its drawbacks so how can you decide?

• If you’re interested in a historic city, Sanford is the place for you.
• If you want some peace and quiet, Lake Mary or Winter Park is where you should go.
• If you want to live in a big city with lots to do, go with Longwood or Sanford
• If you want the best education for your children, choose Oviedo, Lake mary, or Longwood.

Its a hard decision, but whichever Orlando area city you choose, you’ll be living in a great place.  Coming soon, additional suburbs covering all of Orange county!

.

Holidays in Orlando

If you’re thinking about coming down to Orlando for the winter holidays, and you’re not sure what kind of things to do, there’s a lot of events going on at various theme parks. The most popular and well known theme park of Orlando would probably be Walt Disney World.

When the holidays come around, the park is turned into a huge celebration of Yuletide traditions. One event to take part in with the family is the Candlelight Processional. It’s held at the American Gardens teatre in Epcot. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate and get into the Christmas spirit with an orchestra and mass choir.

Right after Christmas would be New Years, and there’s no better place to celebrate it than at Seaworld!

Seaworld hosts a New Year’s Eve celebration, where you can ring in the new year with shows, good food and beautiful firewooks. There’s a countdown to midnight and a fountain/firework spectacular!

Be safe, and Happy  Holidays!

Heather

Five years and counting: Florida’s graduation rate continues rising

This headline comes from the press release by Governor Charlie Christ yesterday.

Graduation Rates Still Rising

“Florida’s improved graduation rate clearly shows that our reform efforts are making a difference in our schools, and most importantly, for our students,” Governor Crist said. “I applaud our students, parents, teachers and school leaders for their hard work and significant improvement.”

According to the Florida Department of Education, the state’s graduation rate climbed more than two-and-a-half percent to 79%.  Some notable breakdowns of the increase were a 3.5% increase for African-American students, a 3.2% increase for Hispanic students, and a 2.3% increase for White students.

Orlando (Seminole County) beats state averages by 14 percentage points

Seminole County Public Schools proudly reports record high graduation rates in three categories:

The NGA (national governors association) rate is 93.8%, the third highest in the state of Florida for the 67 school districts.

The NCLB (no child left behind) rate is 92.6%, ranking Seminole County fourth in the state’s 67 school districts.

The Florida Graduation Rate is 94.2%, which is the fourth highest in Florida.

The statewide percentages for each rate are as follows: NGA – 79.0%; NCLB – 78.2% and Florida rate – 80.7%.  Seminole County graduates consistently scored approximately 14 percentage points above the state averages for all three rates.

Dropout Rates in Orlando much lower than statewide average

The state also released the Dropout Rates for 2009-2010.  Seminole County’s dropout rate was 0.4%, much lower than the statewide average of 2.0%.

For Florida, Central Florida & The Orlando Metro Area

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Website Preview	Website Summary	Website Description
Florida Economy - Labor Stats - Wage Estimates	Website: Economy at a Glance for Florida Scope: State of Florida Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	Labor Force Data – Overall Employment Health
Economy At A Glance for Orlando Metro	Website: Economy at a Glance for Florida Scope: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metro Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	Labor Force Data – Overall Employment Health By Month -For Most Recent Six Months
Economy At A Glance for Orlando Metro (North, Daytona, Deltona)	Website: Economy at a Glance for Florida Scope: Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Metro Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	Labor Force Data – Overall Employment Health By Month – For Most Recent Six Months
Wage Estimates for Orlando Area (and Kissimmee)	Website: Wage Estimates For Major Occupational Groups Scope: Orlando-Kissimmee Metro Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	Wage Estimates for Major Occupational Groups in Orlando-Kissimmee, FL –
Wage Estimates For Major Occupational Groups (Deltona, Daytona)	Website: Wage Estimates For Major Occupational Groups Scope: Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Metro Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	Wage Estimates for Major Occupational Groups in Orlando-Kissimmee, FL –
Unemployment Rate by State for Sept 2010	Website: Unemployment Rate by State for Sept 2010 Scope: National by State Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	National Unemployment Rate for Sept 2010 Florida’s Sept 2010: 11.9% +.1% Florida’s Oct 2010: 11.8% +.6% Florida’s Sept 2009: 11.2%

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FP&L is a major employer in the Orlando and Central Florida Area

Florida Power & Light Company, the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy (formerly FPL Group, Inc.), commonly referred to by its initials, FPL, is a Juno Beach, Florida-based power utility which serves roughly 4.4 million customers in Florida. FPL Group holds power generation assets in more than 20 U.S. states.

For FP&L Jobs and other jobs in the Orlando area, check out the Orlando 411 Travel, Business and Relocation Website Directory

Nuclear plants

FPL is majority owner and operator of the St. Lucie and Turkey Point nuclear power plants.

FPL has proposed building two more nuclear generators at Turkey Point.

Solar power plants

FPL is building the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center — a $476 million, 75 MW(peak) parabolic trough array on 500 acres (200 ha) of the Martin County, Florida plant. The solar collectors will feed heat to the existing steam plant, reducing the need for gas. The energy from the solar array will generate power at a rate of 155,000 MW·h per year (18 MW).

FPL is building two solar photovoltaic power generation systems at Kennedy Space Center.

Now operational is the 25MW DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in DeSoto County, Florida. As the press release states “The DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center was completed months ahead of schedule and more than $22 million under budget. The facility uses more than 90,000 photovoltaic panels that turn the sun’s rays into electricity to power more than 3,000 homes. Over the course of its life, the solar array will avoid 575,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the equivalent of removing 4,500 cars from the road every year.”

New city

Florida Power & Light proposed to build a 75-megawatt solar photovoltaic array in Babcock Ranch, United States first proposed solar-powered city.

Hurricane Wilma

After Hurricane Wilma, FPL reported that about 3 million customers were without power in the South Florida area. About 20 days later, with the help of other power companies, FPL restored the majority of power in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. The company was criticized for the time required for restoration, as well as a rate increase requested for hurricane repair costs and increased fuel costs.