Watch the City Council Meeting
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General Items
Death of Former Mayor of Kissimmee & Osceola County Chairman Frank Attkisson
Commissioners, sadly last week Former Kissimmee Mayor and Osceola County Chairman Frank Attkisson was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike and tragically killed.
Frank was a great leader and made numerous contributions during his many years in public service that have made our region a better place. We continue to offer our support and condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.
Staff Recognitions
Commissioners, I’d like to take a moment to recognize two of our City staff members.
Byron Brooks, our Chief Administrative Officer, was recently inducted into the Clemson University Hall of Fame in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. He was selected because of his leadership in his profession and the significant impact he has had in our community through his role here at the City.
Rick Howard, our Public Works Director, was also recently named one of the top ten Public Works Leaders in 2017 by the American Public Works Association. He was recognized for his work in the field of Public Works, having led out on several major initiatives and projects that have made our City a better place for everyone.
Congratulations Byron and Rick and thank you for your dedication to our City!
Orlando Speaks
I’d like to invite our residents and businesses to join with me, our City Commissioners and Police Chief John Mina on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. for another one of our ORLANDO SPEAKS, interactive workshops designed to strengthen relationships and trust between our police officers and our residents.
The workshop is in partnership with the Valencia College Peace and Justice Institute and builds on our City’s community policing initiative, helping us to ensure that our City remains a safe place, inclusive and accepting of all.
The workshop will be held at the Dr. Smith Neighborhood Center. Registration is required and seating is limited, so I encourage you to visit our website: cityoforlando.net to register today.
OPD HQ Community BBQ
I want to remind everyone that you’re invited to join with me, our City Commissioners and Chief Mina for a community BBQ this Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At the event, you’ll be able to get a firsthand look at all the new ways YOU can interact with our officers and the see the services we provide at our new Orlando Police Headquarters. Hope to see everyone there!
City of Orlando Flag Contest
Last month we launched our City Flag Contest and received more than 950 submissions from all over the world, including many from local artists.
The Flag Design Review committee spent hours reviewing all the designs and have narrowed it down to the top 10 based on the 5 principles of good flag design.
We are now in the second phase of this contest, which is public online voting. Voting began Monday, April 3, and will continue until Monday, April 17, at midnight. I encourage everyone to visit cityoforlado.net/flag to vote for your favorite design.
Thank you to all the artists who participated, especially all the local students from our community centers and schools. It is great to have so much participation and excitement about this contest.
Items of Note:
Meet Me At The Park Grant
Part of our commitment to being a City for Everyone is providing amenities for all residents to enjoy.
April is Earth Month, and we are again joining the National Recreation and Park Association’s Meet Me At the Park initiative, which helps make improvements to parks and community centers across the country, including right here in Orlando.
One of our three City parks and community centers will receive a $20,000 grant and Orlando residents get to choose which one. Projects our residents will get to choose from are:
- New fitness equipment at Al Coith Park
- A fitness trail at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake
- Renovation of basketball courts, baseball field and multiuse field at the Jackson Neighborhood Center
Voting opened April 1 and runs through April 30 at the National Recreation and Park Association website at NRPA.org.
GoodSource Staffing
As part of our ongoing commitment to help those experiencing homelessness, last year we initiated a pilot program with Goodwill Industries of Central Florida to employ homeless individuals within our Streets and Stormwater and Solid Waste divisions.
To date, the City has employed nine crew members through GoodSource, with the intention of transitioning these workers into full-time jobs.
Due to the success of the program, on today’s agenda we are moving toward a long-term contract with Goodwill. This partnership is another important component as our region works to ensure that homelessness in our community is rare, brief and one-time.
