Orlando's Convention Center - Lavish Or Wasteful?

In 1998, Orange County Commissioners easily approved a $750 million expansion of the Covention Center, which would add 1 million square feet of exhibition space. No one looked to Orlando's largest competitor, Las Vegas, which was paying only a fifth of the price for its expansion. "For its 1 million square feet of exhibition space, Las Vegas is paying $150 million. The building in Vegas is less glitzy -- even plain in places. And Las Vegas officials don’t dispute that it pales in comparison to Orlando’s state-of-the-art facility. But what they do dispute is the notion that anyone needs to spend as much money as Orange County did."