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the service industry, city and county leaders are working to
bring in more diverse job opportunities.
To that end, the county created NeoCity, a 500-acre technology
center in Kissimmee to attract high-tech jobs. The Florida
Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, which opened 2017,
serves as the site’s anchor and will research micro and nano electronics,
semiconductors and photonics.
“We’re on the brink of creating a high-wage economic hub,”
Grieb says. “The shift toward higher-wage jobs will add to the
high quality of life and simultaneous low cost of living that
Osceola already provides. This will be the biggest game-changer
we’ve ever seen — not just in Osceola but all of Central Florida.”
Her optimism is shared by leaders in Kissimmee and St. Cloud
and by Central Florida homebuilders, who see Osceola as a hot
market for new homes.
Kissimmee, just to the west of St. Cloud, is the county seat. Its
population of more than 72,000 is expected to climb to 82,688 by
2025. There are more than 1,000 single-family homes and more
than 2,200 multifamily homes either underway or in the planning
stages, with northwest Kissimmee and downtown leading the way.
“Kissimmee is the perfect spot for investment,” says Belinda
Ortiz Kirkegard, the city’s economic development director.
“Strategically located in the heart of Florida, it’s minutes from
all major transportation highways across the state.”
Kirkegard says the county’s flourishing medical community
not only yields high-paying jobs, it’s also increasing medical
services available to residents — an important feature to a
community’s quality of life.
She also notes the benefits of the city’s general aviation airport
— Kissimmee Gateway Airport — for its proximity to the
theme parks and the Orange County Convention Center. “We’re
the destination of choice for private plane traffic, as well as aerospace
companies wanting to maximize the airport’s proximity to
NeoCity,” she adds.
Neighboring St. Cloud is one of the fastest growing cities in
Florida, says Economic Development Manager David Rodriguez.
The city has more than 51,000 residents — a jump of 45 percent
since 2010. As of last November, St. Cloud had approved building
of 11,618 new housing units with another 7,200 under review.
“We’re ideally located just minutes away from the Florida
Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, Orlando International
Airport, Lake Nona’s Medical City, Florida’s Space Coast
and NeoCity,” he adds.
Plus, Rodriguez says, the city offers affordable housing and
a skilled workforce for manufacturing, aerospace/logistics and
distribution companies.
In the unincorporated area of Osceola, there are more than
13,000 housing units that have either been approved or are in
the planning stages.
In St. Cloud, KB Home (kbhome.com) is building two communities:
Hanover Square and Rivercrest at Narcoosee. Both
feature single-family homes.
Hanover Square, on the east side of East Lake Tohopekaliga,
offers 75 homesites with 10 floorplans ranging in size from 1,760
to 3,530 square feet. Prices start in the mid-$200s and amenities
include a pool, a cabana, a tot lot and a walking trail.
/kbhome.com