General Items
Paris
Mayor Dyer recognized the tragic events that happened in Paris last Friday killing hundreds of innocent people.
He called for a moment of silence to pray for the people of Paris and show solidarity with the City of Paris.
Mayor Dyer said our officers have been directed to provide an extra presence and pay special attention to certain locations in light of these terrorist events in Paris. The Orlando Police Department has for many years and continues to participate in several large training exercises for these type of active shooter and terrorist situations.
Our officers are aware that they are the first line of defense in such attacks and are prepared.
We are asking the public to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
Commissioner Gray’s & Commission Stuart’s Birthday
Mayor Dyer wished District 1 Commissioner Gray and District 3 Commissioner Stuart a Happy Birthday.
Congrats on Re-elections
Mayor Dyer congratulated Commissioner Ortiz, Commissioner Sheehan and Commissioner Ings on their re-election.
One Person, One Tree Launch
This past Friday, Mayor Dyer joined with City Commissioners, OUC, Habitat for Humanity, residents of Butler’s Preserve and the community to launch the City’s One Person, One Tree initiative.
This innovative program is designed to help us to increase Orlando’s urban tree canopy. The initiative is a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and Orlando Utilities Commission and allows City residents to order a free tree to plant on their property.
Mayor Dyer encourages residents to visit onepersononetree.com and order their free tree today.
Citrus Bowl 1 Year Annv. & FL Classic
On Thursday, November 19, marks the first anniversary since our newly-reconstructed Orlando Citrus Bowl reopened. In the last year the stadium has welcomed 818,645 patrons to 93 different events.
Beyond our signature annual events including the Florida Blue Florida Classic, Russell Athletic Bowl, Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl and Monster Jam, we hosted Orlando City Soccer’s first MLS season – including a capacity crowd of 62,510 for their opener in March. We also hosted the Mexico vs. Costa Rica international friendly and a return visit of the US Women’s National Team vs. Brazil just a few weeks back. And let’s not forget the stadium welcomed the “World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band,” The Rolling Stones, when they played to a sold-out crowd on June 12.
The facility is actively transitioning from soccer to football and will host the 36th annual Florida Blue Florida Classic this weekend.
Small Business Saturday
Saturday, November 28th is Small Business Saturday. I encourage you to skip the long lines on Black Friday and shop locally. Small businesses provide our City with goods and services that drive our local economy and create new job opportunities for our residents. Business around town and in our Main Streets and Downtown will be participating in Small Business Saturday.
Shop small this holiday season and support our local businesses.
Tree Lighting Celebration
Mayor Dyer invites you to join him at the Lake Eola Park amphitheater on Friday, December 4 for our annual Tree Lighting Celebration from 5 – 10 p.m. The free event includes the lighting of the City’s 72-foot Christmas tree, which will be decorated with 88,000 LED lights.
The celebration also includes a holiday concert by Encore Cast Performing Arts, TheDailyCity.com Food Truck Bazaar and Trinity Lutheran School’s holiday musical.
For more information, visit cityoforlando.net/treelighting
Item of Note:
MEBA Funding for Nikki’s Place & Discover More in Parramore Campaign
City Council addressed an MEBA grant that will help upgrade and restore Nikki’s Place – one of our community best known soul food restaurants located in our Parramore neighborhood. Earlier this year, Nikki’s Place was destroyed by a fire and as they’re rebuilding, this funding will allow them to also make improvements as part of that work.
Nikki’s Place, and other Parramore businesses, often serve as community gathering places for our residents. This month, our DDB/CRA will kick off a year-long campaign promoting these places. The campaign, Discover More in Parramore, will highlight the culture, entertainment offerings, homestyle cooking and history in our Parramore community and help to raise awareness of all these offerings.
Homeless Assistance
As you know we have been implementing the national Housing First model here in Orlando. This approach places chronically homeless individuals in permanent housing and then surrounds them with needed supportive services including mental health counseling, treatment for addiction, basic medical care and the skills to manage their home. Additionally, this approach provides a more coordinated effort between the region’s existing service providers.
It is an extraordinary effort to change the model for housing of the chronically homeless in our City. We have spent the last year and a half developing a working plan, updating our database so we know who all the chronically homeless are, analyzing our housing inventory and aligning our funding.
The City Council agreed to commit more than $1.2 million dollars as part of the funding plan. This funding will go to the Homeless Services Network and the Healthcare Center for the Homeless to eliminate barriers to housing, including security deposit, utility bills and furniture.
While our region is drawing more federal dollars than ever before as a result of our commitment to the Housing First approach, federal funding won’t cover all the costs so it is important that we provide additional support to ensure a successful transition to permanent supportive housing.
