Mark Dollard, co-owner, manager and chef for the Brick %26amp; Fire Pizza and Wine Co. and who last month compared the scene to a “demilitarized zone,” also was anxiously awaiting the barricades coming down. Opening the street to car traffic — and making it more appealing to pedestrians with the removal of construction signs — is a first step toward helping the old Church Street Station complex bounce back under the ownership of developer Cameron Kuhn. But there is a long way to go. Construction will continue on the condo tower that is now being converted to a mix of residential units and hotel rooms through most of the rest of the year. “In the next couple of months you’ll see a dramatic improvement there,” said Bob Hensley of Grosse Point Development Co., who is overseeing completion of the project. Hensley told me he’s in talks now with hotel operators to open a 300- to 350-room hotel in the building. “There’s room for one more hotel downtown right now before the venues open,” he said. He expects the building to be mostly complete by October, but work will continue on the interior for several months beyond that. It would be sad to see such eclectic and quality restaurants as The Dessert Lady, Brick %26amp; Fire and Ceviche go under in the meantime. The new Cheyenne Saloon and Bliss Ultra Lounge are also trying to make it on that end of the block. My prediction: At least one won’t be there by the end of the summer. Addressing a real problem Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink declared April Financial Literacy Month. Sounds like a tried and true bureaucratic scheme to drum up publicity for some pet project, right? Here’s why this one is worth your attention. During a speech last week, Sink talked about how more people across Florida are watching the dream of owning a home slip through their fingers. More than twice as many foreclosures were reported in the state last year than the year before, according to her talking points from the speech to the members of her Financial Literacy Council. Sink talked about how the next year will continue to be difficult as the nation braces for more tough economic times and Florida faces an enormous revenue shortfall. Despite the state’s budget crisis, she is pushing the council to forge ahead with important measures such as a pilot program in three Florida counties to bring more education about economics and personal finance into public-school classrooms. How refreshing to see at least one elected official in Tallahassee speaking out about ways to avoid the state’s next economic crisis rather than ignore the current one by focusing on such ridiculous issues as teenagers’ too-baggy pants or allowing workers to disregard their employers’ bans on weapons in the workplace. Beth Kassab can be reached at bkassab@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5448.

Tags: amp, ariz, barricades, budget, chief financial officer, dis, finance, fir, lard, measures, vic

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