ATLANTA-Tired of commuting to Chicago for four years, Kristie Abney, a vice president in the Atlanta office of entrepreneur Sam Zell's Equity Office Properties Trust, is switching jerseys and teaming with Zell's Chicago rival.

ORLANDO-The annual $110 million a year generated by the 5% tax-per-dollar on hotel rooms is down for March, April and May and could be down for June as well, brokers following Orlando's lodging industry tell GlobeSt.com.

ATLANTA-Based on revenue per available room, Atlanta ranks with Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Riverside, CA as the top markets for 2001. Not among the top five are Orlando and Las Vegas which have the most rooms in the nation at a combined total of 250,000 units.

ATLANTA-The Houston developer and its deep-pockets partner from Fairfield, CT receive the official blessings of DeKalb County officials as dirt turns on construction of the 18 story, 400,000-sf tower scheduled for completion at year end 2002.

ORLANDO-Commercial Net Lease Realty Inc. is paying shareholders $12.1 million in cash and $13.05 per share for a total 7.35 million shares of CNLR's newly-issued common and class A preferred. The deal, one of the largest in REIT circles this year, closes in the fourth quarter.

ORLANDO-The annual $110 million a year generated by the 5% tax-per-dollar on hotel rooms is down for March, April and May and could be down for June as well, brokers following Orlando's lodging industry tell GlobeSt.com.

ORLANDO-Although second-quarter vacancies in the 29 million-sf market are at 12.4%, up from 10.9% in the first quarter, and rents are dropping by about 5% in most submarkets, the outlook for the third quarter and the rest of the year is positive, area leasing specialists tell GlobeSt.com.

ORLANDO-With vacancies up everywhere, only Houston and Orlando brokers expect improvement while Dallas, Austin and Chicago see continued dark clouds overhead, leasing specialists tell GlobeSt.com.