Cable Contracts Fill City Coffers

"For all the flak the city of Orlando's taken about its generous incentive deals for high-rise developments, at least it figured out a way to get some of its money back. In each of the five agreements the city reached since August 2004 -- the Premiere Trade Plaza, The Paramount on Lake Eola, Tradition Towers, Camden Orange Court and 55 West at the Esplanade -- city lawyers inserted a clause allowing the city to control the developments' telecommunications services.

All totaled, that's more than 1,600 high-end condominium units, an estimated 75 percent or more of which would sign up for digital cable, high-speed Internet service and other fancy accommodations. That doesn't include tens of thousands of square feet of office space, also likely to need high-speed Internet and other telecom services. A cable company could bring in more than $3 million a year, according to city records."