This week, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed the 2009-10 budget preserving economic development items. Among those items, the Film and Entertainment Incentive received $10.8 million - more than double the $5 million that was allocated last year. Thanks to State Legislators and the Governor for recognizing the importance of the film, digital media and entertainment industry to the state of Florida, especially during these tough, economic times.

Starting June 1, filmmakers and others can visit www.filminflorida.com for an incentive application for projects beginning on or after July 1, 2009. Applications are accepted starting June 15.

This week, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed the $66.5 billion 2009-10 budget, preserving Florida's investment in economic development, education and public safety. This budget included many items important to the future of economic development in both Metro Orlando and the State of Florida, including:

• UCF & FIU Colleges of Medicine: Fully funded.
• Economic Development Tool Kit: $21.6 million. This includes funding for incentives such as Qualified Targeted Industries (QTI), Qualified Defense Contractors, and High Impact Performance Incentives. This also includes $500,000 for the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
• Quick Action Closing (QAC) Fund: $13.46 million.
• Road Fund: $20 million.
• Quick Response Training (QRT) Grants: $3.3 million. This is for new and expanding businesses to offset expenses for customized skills training for newly created jobs.
• Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Grants: $4 million. Funds for this program are from the Employment Security Administration Trust Fund ($2 million) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ($2 million). This is double the amount allocated last year.
• Film & Entertainment Incentive: $10.8 million. This is more than double the $5 million that was allocated last year.
• Enterprise Florida Funding: $11.4 million.
• Space Florida Funding: $3.84 million.

For more information about the 2009-10 budget, please visit www.FLGov.com/budget.

Last week, i.d.e.a.s. opened its new headquarters in downtown Orlando. This creative production and digital media studio, one of Central Florida's largest, becomes a new "anchor tenant" of the Creative Village evolving in downtown Orlando.

As part of the opening ceremony, City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer helped company founder Bob Allen unveil a new "Creative Village" logo. The logo will be used to help identify the growing number of companies that comprise this sector of our economy.

i.d.e.a.s. moved to downtown from their longtime location on the backlot of Disney MGM Studios.

During the opening session of the Green Cities Florida conference this week, Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty, together with county commissioners, Senator Lee Constantine, representatives from OUC-The Reliable One and EDC president Ray Gilley, "flipped the switch" on the solar panel system at the Orange County Convention Center. This one-megawatt rooftop PV system, the largest of its kind in the southeastern U.S., will generate 1,300-megawatt hours of electricity per year, equivalent to the power used by 100 typical houses. And, it will do so without producing any greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, community leaders officially opened Orange County's new Climate Change Education Center (CCEC), located in the South Concourse of the Convention Center. The CCEC, which will be permanently housed there, will offer visitors a unique look at some of the latest energy efficiency and alternative energy technologies.

The Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC) held its annual convention at Orlando's Rosen Shingle Creek Resort this week. Themed "To Innovation and Beyond", the conference drew over 200 economic development professionals from throughout the state to discuss the latest trends, challenges and best practices in our industry. Central Florida was prominent throughout the dialogue, as representatives from the EDC, UCF, Florida High Tech Corridor Council and our development community led a variety of panel discussions and break out sessions.

A highlight of the annual conference is presentation of the Eunice Sullivan Professional of the Year Award, which recognizes the achievements of an outstanding economic developer within the state of Florida. This year that award went to Ray Gilley, president and CEO of the Metro Orlando EDC. In presenting the award, Mary Jane Stanley, CEO of the Pasco County EDC and last year's Sullivan Award winner, recalled that Ray recently told her, "You can't be effective if you don't have passion." She then highlighted the passion he has brought to his 25+ years in economic development, citing such achievements as answering the Governor's call to chair Workforce Florida; establishing the FEDC PAC to help align efforts of economic developers from around the state; leading Metro Orlando EDC initiatives, which have resulted in the creation of 32,000 jobs in our region since he took the helm in 2001; and serving as an active member, including chairing, the FEDC Board of Directors. Ray's peers from around the state admire him as an effective consensus builder and the consummate team player.

And awards for Central Florida didn't end there. Harvey Massey, recipient of the EDC's 2009 James B. Greene Award, was also honored as FEDC Volunteer of the Year for Florida's East Central Region; and Tracy Turk, EDC Senior Director in Seminole County, was named FEDC Regional Director of the Year.

The Metro Orlando EDC is widely considered the state's leader in web-based marketing. Two awards in the FEDC Marketing Materials Competition reflected this. The EDC's Marketing and PR team took top honors for the re-vamped website, OrlandoEDC.com, and for the EDC's comprehensive social media initiative, which includes Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter components. Congrats also to the EDC's marketing partners in Tavares, Florida, who won an award for their Event Video, which chronicled the City's efforts to support the relocation of the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival to Wooton Park and demonstrates how City events support downtown revitalization efforts. The video can be seen at tavares.org.

The Metro Orlando EDC, along with numerous community partners, is in Atlanta, Georgia, for the BIO International Convention this week. Our goal is to continue to build awareness of this region's emergence as a hub for life science and biotech research, as well as to make business connections with growing bio companies.

In preparation for this conference, which opens today, the EDC launched the new bioOrlando Web site, used Facebook to promote our presence here, is "tweeting" from the show floor.

The EDC is sharing booth space with the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (booth #3003) and is partnering with representatives from the University of Central Florida, Lake Nona, Burnham Insitute for Medical Research at Lake Nona and M. D. Anderson - Orlando Cancer Research Institute.