Pallets in Orlando: the whole city's docks

The city behind the city

Visitors see the parks and hotels. Dock managers see something else: infill warehouses that supply Universal, Disney, regional hotels and the Orange County Convention Center, and keep them stocked. About 80 percent of Orlando workers are employed outside leisure and hospitality.

The city's industry is spread across ZIP codes rather than packed in one park. A pallet pile in 32809 has different habits from one in 32827, and the district pages for Orlando Central Park and for Airport and Lake Nona handle those two separately.

The city's ZIP codes

ZIP codes: 32801, 32803, 32805, 32806, 32807, 32808, 32809, 32811, 32812, 32822, 32824, 32827, 32837 and 32839.

Roads a dock manager uses

• Orange Blossom Trail (US 441) runs north to south and meets Sand Lake Road in the southwest.
• Mills Avenue (SR 15) serves the north of the city.
• SR 417 passes near Boggy Creek on the southeast edge; SR 528 and SR 417 serve the airport side.
• The Turnpike, SR 408 and SR 429 give exits to the west of the city.
• International Drive, 11.1 miles long, is the tourist spine in southwest Orlando, where the convention center sits, and Universal Boulevard serves the attractions in the same corridor.

Pallet habits by freight

Hospitality supply

Steady weekly empties, Grade A or B stock for deliveries. See hospitality.

Food

Dry, clean Grade A, kept under cover. See food.

Convention logistics

Pallets arrive in bursts around events and leave in the same bursts.

Industry around the docks

Orlando is a major industrial and high-tech centre, and more than 150 international companies have facilities in the metro. Central Florida Research Park covers over 1,025 acres and is home to more than 120 companies, and Lockheed Martin has a large manufacturing facility for missile systems and aeronautical craft. Office complexes have grown along I-4 north of Orlando, in Maitland, Lake Mary and Heathrow.

Rail

The Central Florida Rail Corridor was bought from CSX Transportation by the State of Florida in 2013 and now carries SunRail commuter trains. Some freight spurs still run off the line and are operated by the Florida Central Railroad.

County seat

Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, and the county government sits in the city.

Summer in the yard

In the city, June brings about 8.05 inches of rain, July 7.46 and August 7.69. A back lot behind a store or warehouse collects all of it. Clear it before the season, or keep it covered and off the ground.