The big news in Florida is downtown. Many key meeting cities offer new entertainment, restaurants, and shopping, while construction near the state's convention centers is at an all-time high.

In Orlando, a $1.1 billion downtown sports-and-arts venue was recently approved by city and county leaders. The plan includes a $480 million special-events center and a $425 million performing arts center. Both are slated for completion in 2010.

On Orlando's International Drive, Pointe Orlando, a shopping and dining complex one block from the Orange County Convention Center, is in the final stages of an extensive redevelopment.

In downtown Tampa, three new museums — Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa Museum of Art, and the Children's Museum of Tampa — are slated to open by 2009. In addition, the TECO Line Streetcar System has been extended with a new stop at the Hyatt Regency Tampa in downtown.

Miami saw the debut last year of a performing arts center and the expansion of the Miami Seaquarium.

In Daytona Beach, the $1 billion Ocean Walk Village revitalization project includes the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, Wyndham Ocean Walk, and the Ocean Walk Shoppes. The adjacent Ocean Center convention complex is undergoing a $75.9 million expansion, tripling its offerings by adding 130,000 square feet.

In Panama City on the Gulf of Mexico, a new international airport with a 100,000-square-foot terminal is in the planning stages, and expected to open by early 2010.

Hurdles remain, but Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale is closer to a headquarters hotel; a panel selected Hilton Hotels Corp. over Marriott International to build a 1,000-room property.

In the historic Clematis District in West Palm Beach, the much-anticipated convention center hotel is on its way with the approval of a plan to build an upscale, 400-room hotel to open in 2010.

The West Coast

Tampa/St. Petersburg

Scheduled to open in 2009 in downtown St. Petersburg is the $100 million Grand Bohemian Hotel & Residences, with 260 guest rooms and 16,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 323-room InterContinental Tampa opened in August with 21,000 square feet of meeting space.

Slated for January completion is a refurbishment at the 521-room Hyatt Regency Tampa, which will include guest rooms, corridors, lobby, and 30,000 square feet of meeting space.

Clearwater

The 253-room Sandpearl Resort is the first new beachfront resort in the area in 25 years. It features 25,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 5,000-square-foot ballroom.

Sarasota

The 218-unit Longboat Key Club & Resort completed a $6.5 million renovation this summer.

Lee Island Coast

Fort Myers

The 227-room Crowne Plaza Hotel at Bell Tower, with 12,000 square feet of meeting space, recently completed a $6 million renovation.

Naples

Slated for January completion is a multimillion-dollar renovation at the 218-room Naples Beach Resort, which includes enhancement of its guest rooms, suites, and corridors. The improvements follow a six-year, $40 million enhancement that was completed in 2006.

Scheduled to open in February is the Naples Bay Resort, part of a mixed-use development. A member of the Benchmark Hospitality International portfolio, Naples Bay will feature 85 hotel rooms, 108 two- and three-bedroom cottages, and 3,150 square feet of meeting space.

The Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa, an 85-acre complex set on a peninsula overlooking Sanibel and Captiva Islands near Fort Myers, has 45,000 square feet of meeting space and 400 guest rooms, 66 suites, and 53 condominiums.

Central Florida

Greater Orlando

Scheduled to debut late summer 2009 is the 1,400-room Hilton Orlando Hotel at Orange County Convention Center. It will feature 130,000 square feet of meeting space, including 38 meeting rooms and a 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom, as well as a 15,000-square-foot spa and fitness center.

The 510-room Florida Hotel & Conference Center, which has 50,000 square feet of meeting space, implemented a smoke-free policy encompassing all guest rooms and public areas.

In October, the Orlando World Center Marriott celebrated the grand opening of its 105,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom, which can be connected to the Palms Ballroom to create more than 160,000 square feet of meeting space. The facility also has more than 50,000 square feet of new pre-function meeting space. The property offers a total of 450,000 square feet of flexible event space.

The 1,334-room Rosen Centre has completed a renovation of its 106,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel also debuted a renovated fitness center.

Ravallo Resort & Conference Center, a $520 million, 900-unit luxury condominium/hotel, will begin construction in March 2008 in Lake Buena Vista. Amenities will include a spa, fitness center, and 140,000 square feet of meeting space. The first phase is expected to open in 2010.

Near Downtown Disney, the 626-room Regal Sun Resort, formerly the Grosvenor Resort, completed a $25 million renovation in September of its 19,000 square feet of meeting space.

Set for completion this month is an $8.5 million room renovation at the 1,000-room Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando.

The 146-unit Villas of Grand Cypress at Grand Cypress completed a $600,000 update of its 28,000-square-foot clubhouse. The refurbishment included a new restaurant, Nine18, that replaces the Black Swan. Nine18 seats 90.

Kissimmee

Ginn Reunion Resort opened Reunion Grande — a luxury condo/hotel in the 2,300-acre resort community — with 82 suites and 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 444-room Holiday Inn Main Gate East completed a $10 million renovation in September. Formerly the world's largest Travelodge, the hotel has more than 4,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 922-room Orlando Sun Resort and Convention Center by Lexington, formerly the Hyatt Orlando, recently opened with meeting space including a 13,550-square-foot ballroom, a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall, and 22 meeting rooms.

South Florida & the Keys

Greater Miami

The 156-room Crowne Plaza Miami Kendall, with 5,000 square feet of meeting space, opened this past summer.

The 349-room Eden Roc Renaissance Beach Resort and Spa is undergoing a major renovation that will add an 11,500-square-foot pillarless banquet room to its 43,000 square feet of meeting space. Phase II will open in late 2008.

Fontainebleau Miami Beach is scheduled to complete a $1 billion expansion/renovation in mid-2008. Popular Vegas nightclub PURE will debut here.

The 790-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel on South Beach opened a $12 million, 18,000-square-foot Elemis Spa.

The oceanfront Regent Bal Harbour, in upscale Bal Harbour Village, is set to open in January with 124 guest rooms, a private beach, a 10,000-square-foot spa, and a 3,700-square-foot conference center.

The 250-room Sole on the Ocean in Sunny Isles Beach, with 5,000 square feet of meeting space, opened in October.

The Keys

Opened in October, the 222-room Beachside Resort & Conference Center features 6,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom that can accommodate up to 400 guests.

The 350-unit Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, with two championship golf courses, a marina, a private beach, 12 restaurants and lounges, and 30,000 square feet of meeting space offers teambuilding programs, including human foos-ball and an eco-challenge.

Greater Fort Lauderdale

Set on three acres of prime beachfront property in Pompano Beach, the 303-suite Fairmont Pompano Beach Resort, scheduled for completion in 2011, will include a 20,000-square-foot spa and meeting space.

The 373-room Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort opened this year with 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 297-room Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, formerly Las Palmas Hotel & Suites, completed a $20 million renovation in June.

The Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa in Weston (formerly the Bonaventure Resort & Conference Center) has finished a $100 million renovation, featuring a conference center with 100,000 square feet of meeting space. A Red Door Lifestyle Spa, Elizabeth Arden, recently opened.

The 166-room, $240 million St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale opened in May on Fort Lauderdale Beach with 24,000 square feet of meeting space.

Scheduled for completion in late 2008 are two new Donald Trump condominium/hotel developments on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Construction has begun on Trump International Hotel & Tower Fort Lauderdale, with 301 one- and two-bedroom suites. The Trump Las Olas Beach Resort will have 95 units.

Slated to open next year is the $205 million, 346-room W Hotel, offering 15,000 square feet of meeting space and the 10,000-square-foot Bliss Spa.

The 384-room Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Resort & Spa has undergone a $25 million renovation.

Palm Beach County

The 339-room PGA National Resort Spa will complete an enhancement this month that includes a redesigned front entrance and a new restaurant.

The 270-room Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach will debut a 28,000-square-foot spa in late 2008.

Northern Florida

Jacksonville

Earlier this year at the 508-unit Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, a 77,000-square-foot clubhouse opened overlooking The Players Stadium Course. The clubhouse includes an 11,000-square-foot event lawn and 12,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 190-room OneOcean Resort in Atlantic Beach, formerly the Sea Turtle Inn, with 8,000 square feet of meeting space, is undergoing a propertywide refurbishment set for completion in January.

Panama City Beach

Carillon Beach Resort & Spa opened recently. It includes the 70-unit Carillon Beach Inn and is in the walkable village of Carillon Beach, which has meeting space for small groups.

A new, 11,000-square-foot, full-service spa, salon, and fitness center opened in May at the 320-room Marriott Bay Point Resort, which has 40,000 square feet of meeting space.

Trip Tips!

• The Miami Dragon Boat Club offers a cultural teambuilding experience through the 2,000-year-old sport of dragon boat racing for groups of 20 to 200. www.miamidragon.com

• Some of Florida's best private golf courses are accessible to guests and groups that stay there. Properties with meeting space and play privileges include the Ginn Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast (new Tom Fazio-designed The Conservatory); Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando (Bay Hill); and Watercolor Inn near Panama City Beach (Greg Norman's Shark's Tooth and Tom Fazio's Camp Creek Golf Club).

Special Venues

Aquasino, Miami's only luxury gaming yacht, accommodates up to 500 passengers in 228 square feet of space. Gaming options include blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat, and more. www.aquasinosouthbeach.com

Sailing from Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is the new Grand I, a 52-foot Sea Ray yacht. The vessel, cruising the waters of Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake in the Magic Kingdom area, can be booked at rates starting at $450 per hour for up to 18 passengers. A captain and crew members are provided. www.DisneyMeetings.com

In Kissimmee, the Osceola Heritage Park has the 11,000-seat indoor, climate-controlled Silver Spurs Arena and the 89,500-square-foot Exhibition Building for trade shows and other events. www.ohpark.com

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa can host 3,000 guests for a reception in its exhibit spaces, with views of the 500,000-gallon coral reefs exhibit or the shark tank. An outdoor pavilion with a stage offers prime views of the waterfront. www.flaquarium.org

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, located on Sarasota Bay, is an opulent complex that includes a waterfront mansion, circus museum, art museum, and the 250-seat Asolo Theater, which is available for events. The complex has six rooms that can host receptions for 2,500 and banquets for up to 1,000. www.ringling.org

Ask The CVB

Visit Florida
(850) 488-5607
www.visitflorida.org

Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 544-0415
www.daytonabeachcvb.org

Florida Keys & Key West CVB
(800) Ask-keys
www.fla-keys.com

Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
(954) 765-4466
www.sunny.org

Visit Jacksonville
(800)733-2668
www.visitjacksonville.com

Kissimmee CVB
(407) 847-5000
www.floridakiss.com

Greater Miami CVB
(305) 539-3000, (800) 933-8448
www.MiamiandBeaches.com

Orlando/Orange County CVB
(407) 363-5872
www.orlandoinfo.com/meetings

Palm Beach County CVB
(561) 233-3000
www.palmbeachfl.com

St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB
(877) 352-3224; (727) 464-7200
www.floridasbeach.com

Beaches of South Walton
(800) 822-6877
www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

Tampa Bay & Company
(813) 223-1111
www.visittampabay.com