“The mixed-use student housing redevelopment project will contain approximately 1,300 beds aimed to meet the demands of UCF’s growing enrollment, and will feature state of the art amenities including a community center, restaurants and shops, a resort-style pool and parking garage,” said Gina Cowart, a vice president and spokesperson with American Campus Communities, the company building the project.

“The new development has received enthusiastic support from the local neighborhood and government as they are excited to have this new addition to the community,” Cowart told KnightNews.com

But while the new facility will be fancier and much more modern, not everyone is happy about the changes coming to The Plaza, across from UCF. Several popular college bars, like Knight Library, FUBAR and Underground Bluz, will be bulldozed to make way for the fancy new facility.

And some businesses, like Anmol Indian Cuisine and the Underground Bluz bar, were told they must close their doors by the end of this month, according to Bryan Eastman, Deputy Campaign Manager for the the Shayan Elahi for Florida House campaign.

The Elahi campaign held a press conference outside Underground Bluz Thursday, and alleged certain businesses, like Underground Bluz, were only given a few weeks of notice to move. “Anmol moved out last week as a result,” Eastman told KnightNews.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGtkCV1zSNk

“We have been accommodating and are working with the current retail tenants regarding the plans to vacate the shopping center for demolition, which should be underway by the end of 2012,” Cowart told KnightNews.com. “We have communicated all timelines well in advance of what is required by law so current tenants have ample time to find alternate locations or plans.”

Cowart also reiterated that the new facility will also have retail space for tenants — which students will also be able to enjoy. And there’s already interest.

“We are currently in the process of accepting and reviewing tenant applications for the retail space,” Cowart told KnightNews.com.

But before the new facility can open, there will be that inevitable period where The Plaza that so many students spent some of the best times of their lives will be filled with construction workers instead of college students.

While the demolition is expected the begin by the end of this year, Cowart said construction completion is targeted for fall 2014.

But while the future of The Station seems more certain than the classic bars facing demolition in The Plaza, it will have to compete — at least initially — with students who may want to hang on to what little time they have left living it up at the college bars that have become such a big part of UCF history.

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It’s still not clear whether Knight Library, FUBAR, Lazy Moon and other popular shops at The Plaza will reopen, or close their doors for good.

Check back to KnightNews.com for special coverage of these historic changes coming to the UCF area, and for updates on what the businesses will do.

See more pictures of the new plaza on the next page, below:

Day view of The New Plaza

That’s according to TBO.com, which reports that police said Agana’s Toyota Camry was moving south “at a high rate of speed on South Boulevard” when it smashed through the concrete barrier. Even though police divers arrived within 10 minutes and pulled him out, he did not pull through, and was taken off life support within days.

TBO.com is reporting the funeral Mass will take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, located on 509 N. Florida Ave in the Tampa Bay area.

Before the funeral, TBO.com reports a visitation is planned from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave., which will include a Catholic wake service at 7 p.m.

Agana an engineering major at USF and a 2011 graduate of Plant High School.

Scott has been a vocal advocate that Florida universities focus on turning out STEM degrees, as part of Scott’s effort to create jobs.

USF President Judy Genshaft sent Scott an email on Wednesday thanking Scott for the opportunity to brainstorm about some potential challenges Scott could issue to Perry related to STEM.

“We focused on challenges that could yield relatively quick results in producing new products, jobs, innovations and/or graduates in STEM fields,” Genshaft wrote.

One of the potential prizes includes: having the losing Governor host and pay for a steak cookout with his state’s beef on the other school’s campus, for the winning school’s students to enjoy.

Based on the emails KnightNews.com obtained, the challenges are still in a draft phase and it doesn’t appear any formal challenges have been issued. Genshaft copied Scott’s Chief of Staff, Steve MacNamara, who forwarded the ideas on to other people to further discuss.

It’s unclear if any other universities besides USF are giving Scott ideas for potential challenges. KnightNews.com will work to find out if UCF is also being considered for potential competitions and challenges with Texas. Check back to KnightNews.com to see if any of the ideas become official challenges.

Below are the draft ideas Genshaft submitted to Scott:

Ideas for a University of South Florida vs. University of Texas STEM Challenge

1)   USF Bulls vs. UT Longhorns New STEM Business Challenge

Challenge Summary: Students at USF and UT would compete to start a new STEM business or launch a new STEM product.  Individual or groups of students at each school would be expected to develop a new business or product idea in the STEM field.  Each school would locally choose its best three ideas and those students would be expected to present their new company or product idea to a panel of Fortune 500 and/or Venture Capitalists chosen by Governor Scott and Governor Perry.  The panel would determine the winner based on its likelihood of being commercialized and creating jobs.  All viable contest entries would be expected to be patented and put into production or launched as new companies.

Possible Prize/Bet: In the spirit of promoting the “Bulls vs. Longhorns” and promoting Florida and Texas agriculture, the losing Governor would host and pay for a steak cookout with their state’s beef on the other school’s campus for the winning school’s students to enjoy.

2)   Promoting STEM-M Challenge (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine)

Challenge Summary: To promote the ever-increasing need to marry STEM with healthcare/medicine, USF and UT undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields would compete to develop an innovation or idea that would solve a healthcare problem.  A panel of medical experts equally divided among the two universities would judge the quality of the idea based on impact, practicality and cost, and then the top five entries would present and compete in person.  The presentation/competition would occur in Texas or Florida based on whichever school had the most students enter the competition.

Possible Prize/Bet: The contest winner would get to meet both Governors and the losing Governor would spend a day wearing the shirt of the winning school.  That photograph would be sent to the winning school to display with their other trophies.
 
3)   Increasing the STEM Workforce Challenge

Challenge Summary: USF and UT would compete to develop a method to deliver STEM courses and degree programs for people not currently enrolled in the university, such as people already in the workforce without bachelor’s degrees or people who already have bachelor’s degrees but in non-STEM fields.  The contest would be to develop easy and affordable ways of presenting the material, including online and/or evenings with the goal of increasing enrollment and degree production in STEM fields.  The winner would be determined based on how many new people are enrolled in those courses over a set period of time.

Possible Prize/Bet:  The winning university would have a group of representative faculty and students treated to a dinner at the other state’s Governor’s Mansion.

See the full email from Genshaft to Scott by clicking next page, below.

The National Hurricane Center showed the storm off the coast of South Carolina, according to its Saturday afternoon advisory. Alberto was located 282 miles northeast of Orlando on Sunday night.

The storm was moving south west Saturday, but was forecasted to turn around and head away from Florida.

Here’s the latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center:

“Right from the beginning the prosecution knew Zimmerman had bruises on the back of his head,” Dershowitz told Megyn Kelly. “They just submitted false affidavits and generated the media frenzy. The finger of responsibility points clearly at the prosecutor. She raised expectations by indicting Zimmerman for second-degree murder when there was clearly never any basis.”

“She has a terrible reputation in Florida for always overcharging,” Dershowtiz said of Corey on Fox News. Recently, Corey has come under fire from Congresswoman Corrine Brown, in an unrelated case, for her courtroom victory in getting Melissa Alexander sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a “warning shot” at her allegedly abusive husband.

An attorney for Martin’s family, Benjamin Crump, and Zimmerman’s defense attorney, Mark O’Mara, debated the new evidence this morning on The Today Show. See the video below:

KnightNews.com covered the wrongful death lawsuit the parents of the UCF football player — who died during a workout — brought against UCF’s private athletic association during last summer’s trial.

Even though UCF chose to privatize its athletics corporation as a direct support organization, which allows UCF to keep secret certain information that open records law would otherwise require UCF to disclose, UCF has insisted the private athletics corporation should be treated as a public state agency when it comes to a $200,000 cap on lawsuits public agencies enjoy. A reason UCF gave was because President John Hitt has control over the private corporation.

The judge disagreed UCF’s private athletics corporation should be immune to the full payment. That decision is one that UCF plans to appeal. See an interview with UCF spokesman Grant Heston we shot right after the verdict came down last year, where he discusses other issues planned for the appeal:

After a disappointing year, in which the Knights went 5-7, endured NCAA allegations and saw several players get into legal and academic trouble, the football program will have a lot to look forward to next season.

With the program’s entrance into the Big East just a year away, the Knights roster received a significant boost after Coach George O’Leary announced he’s reinstating four key offensive players, including quarterback Jeff Godfrey, wide receiver J.J. Worton, offensive tackle Chris Martin and cornerback Jordan Ozerities, who are all expected to participate in summer classes and team workouts that start Monday.

Godfrey and Worton were the two biggest question marks entering the 2012 season. Godfrey, who has been the Knights starting quarterback for the majority of the last two years, was suspended for the spring semester for violating university policy and was rumored to be transferring to FAU.

However, Godfrey changed his mind and decided to return to the Knights pending Coach O’Leary’s approval. O’Leary said he was open to the speedy junior’s return at the team’s annual Spring game, but Godfrey had to get his academics in order. He will still need to fulfill some academic obligations, but is expected to return to the program as a wide receiver.

Worton’s return may be even more noteworthy considering he was suspended on St. Patrick’s Day after getting arrested at local bar Knight Library for charges of resisting arrest, battery and resisting an officer with violence. The St. Patty’s Day incident left an uncertain future for Worton, who led the team in receiving yards in his freshman season.

Martin and Ozerities were suspended from spring practice for undisclosed violations of team policy, but O’Leary has now said they are back in good standing.

The reinstatement of Godfrey and Worton gives the Knights roster significant depth and makes them a dangerously potent offense heading into next season. Worton is an up-and-coming player for the Knights with his deep-threat capabilities.

The 6’2″ redshirt sophomore posted 531 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season and was expected to be the Knights top receiver again before his run-in with law enforcement. So, his return is a major relief for the Knights, as he will help create a dynamic offense with returning leaders, such as runningback Latavius Murray and QB Blake Bortles.

Godfrey’s decision to reunite with UCF is a big positive as well, and it will be interesting to see how he pans out at the receiver position.

Godfrey seemed like he’d be nowhere near Orlando after his father and his mentor, Luther Campbell, publicly bashed Coach O’Leary for limiting the quarterback. Godfrey lost most of his playing time at the end of the season in favor of Bortles after struggling to repeat his success from 2010.

“I told him, ‘The only thing I’m disappointed with is you could have stood up and told the truth. You know that stuff wasn’t the truth — what Luke was saying, what your dad was saying. There wasn’t two game plans and everything else,” O’Leary said in a statement from the Orlando Sentinel. “You started every practice, and you started every game. And you knew Blake was coming in at some time whether you were doing well or you were doing bad.”

It was often questioned if O’Leary tailored the playbook to favor Bortles’ strengths, in turn minimizing Godfrey’s effectiveness, which is why he struggled throughout the year. Regardless, the Knights struggled with both quarterbacks and finished 5-7.

Godfrey is a natural athlete and was scouted that way from some high-profile schools, but UCF was the one program willing to give him a shot under center.

That athleticism will give him the opportunity to be a playmaker, combined with his speed, quickness and IQ on the field. O’Leary is hoping Godfrey has matured since his offseason debacle and wants him to apologize to the team.

“I told him, ‘You have teammates that are disappointed in you,’ ” O’Leary said in a statement from the Sentinel. “It’s not going to be easy coming back in. He’ll have to address the team. I told him, ‘You sort of left them.’ … But he seems to be a little more mature and understands life’s not that easy. You have to work.”

UCF will have a very potent offense with the core of last year’s team returning and now with the announcement of Worton and Godfrey’s reinstatement.

With Bortles, Missouri-transfer Tyler Gabbert and potentially Godfrey all in the mix for quarterback, Knight fans are in for an exciting season.

While there’s still plenty of excitement in Orlando regarding the move, which will happen in 2013, the Big East seems to be experiencing a little turbulence.

Commissioner John Marinatto resigned Sunday after a rocky year for the conference, which saw quite a few high profile programs bolt for other conferences, including Pittsburgh, TCU, West Virginia and Syracuse.

Marinatto spent three years as the Big East’s commissioner before he was reportedly asked to step down from the position by league presidents.

Despite the shake up of the Big East, UCF leaders are still looking forward to the move.

“It’s a great conference, a great platform,” UCF Athletic Director Todd Stansbury said to the Orlando Sentinel. “… We just need the fans to keep supporting all our teams and enjoy it.”

There have also been rumors that Boise State may back out of its commitment to the Big East because they haven’t officially informed the Mountain West of its departure.

Regardless, the move is beneficial for the Knights. There is still a huge boost in national media exposure, the elusive automatic qualifying tag, television contracts and better competition.

Now, the Big East will search for a new commissioner, in hopes of getting more lucrative television contracts, which may have also been part of the reason the Big East wanted to go a different direction with Marinatto.

“I wouldn’t read too much into that,” Stansbury said to the Sentinel regarding Marinatto’s departure. “Conference commissioners do change and it really doesn’t really change a lot as far as what’s going on in a conference. I think John did a great job navigating through some fairly treacherous waters. … We wish him a lot of luck.”

With the Big East restocking the league with UCF, Houston, SMU, Boise State and San Diego State, Knight Nation shouldn’t be worried. The conference still has its AQ status, still boasts arguably the best college basketball conference in the nation and provides a large increase in exposure for UCF.

The Knights enter their final season as a member of C-USA starting this fall.

E-mail us at athletics@knightnews.com or follow us on Twitter … Allen Levin can be followed @TheNBAllen 

Alex Sica, an avid car enthusiast, was selected to be featured in the two day show which features reality TV star, Chip Foose.

Sica, who drives a customized 2005 Denali, was very excited to be chosen and is looking to have his car signed by Foose.

The car show, now in its second year, takes place between June 2-3 at Downtown Disney and celebrates everything “Cars.” The event features meet and greets with Lightning McQueen, Mater and Finn McMissile and includes vendors, DJ’s food and fun!

The show also has several awards that will be given to the selected cars and includes a fan favorite!

Check out http://floridacoolcars.com/ for more information about the show!

A Palm Beach County Circuit Judge sentenced Goodman to 16 years in prison, fined him $10,000 and took away his driver’s license.

Goodman in court during sentencing; awaits appeal

During the sentencing, the judge admitted that an appeals court will review the case and decide whether he handled the case appropriately.

Goodman’s attorney, Roy Black, believes his client didn’t get a fair shake.

“It is our belief that multiple errors were committed during and before the trial that, in effect, denied our client’s ability to get a fair trial,” Black said in a statement to KnightNews.com following the verdict.

“We intend to file an appeal so that our client can receive the just and fair proceeding to which he is entitled by law.”

Goodman was convicted after prosecutors alleged he was drunk at the time he left Wilson to die in a canal after his Bentley hit Wilson’s Hyundai in South Florida.

KnightNews.com will continue following the appeal process and update you if Goodman’s sentence changes.