Research park passes 'threshold to success.' (Central Florida Research Park)(Focus: Orange County Update)

ORLANDO - Who's been injecting Central Florida Research Park with steroids?

The place is pulsating with bulldozers, new construction, new tenants and more traffic.

"The research park has certainly passed the threshold to success," says John Lewis, Orange County's economic development administrator.

Today, the 1,027-acre business park in east Orange County is home to 90 companies and 5,500 employees with an annual payroll of $295 million. That's up from 60 companies and 3,500 employees five years ago. And employment is expected to jump to 10,000 over the next year.

Much of the park's success stems from diversification efforts: Created in 1983 as a …