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City Council
General Items
Passing of Commissioner Ings’ Aunt
Last week, Commissioner Ing’s aunt, Mrs. Leona Ings, passed away.
Mayor Buddy Dyer asked for a moment of silence to honor and remember her.
Peace Officers Memorial Day
Mayor Dyer asked to take a moment to recognize National Police Week and specifically May 15, as Peace Officer’s Memorial Day.
On Monday, May 15, Orlando Police Chief Mina and F.O.P. Lodge President Shawn Dunlap joined 40,000 other law enforcement officers from across the country and around the world in Washington D.C. to honor those law enforcement officers that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Mayor Dyer recognized the donation of an Orlando United art exhibit created by our Communications Department and OPD that will be donated to the LGBTQ Law Enforcement Association to auction to raise funds towards the construction of a permanent Memorial in Washington D.C. that directly recognizes LGBTQ First Responders and Military killed in the line of duty.
Unfortunately our Community was affected this year with two law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. We will always remember them and forever be thankful for their contributions to our community.
Mayor Dyer held a moment of silence to remember all fallen officers.
2017 Legacy Awards Honoring Commissioner Patty Sheehan
Mayor Dyer recognized District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who was recently named the winner of the 2017 Seminole State College Alumni Award.
She was recognized for her achievements here in our community and her support for Seminole State College.
Orlando United Day – Acts of Love and Kindness
The City of Orlando and Orange County have designated June 12, 2017, as Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness to honor the 49 innocent Pulse victims and support survivors, as well as to recognize the compassion and love that was displayed by our Central Florida community following the tragedy.
On this day, a number of community events and activities will take place, including a homegrown movement led by the One Orlando Alliance and influenced by victims’ families to engage in Acts of Love and Kindness.
Engaging in these activities on June 12 is a respectful and loving way to remember and honor the lives of those taken and to show compassion to those who need support.
Following the Pulse tragedy, we showed the world that Orlando would not be defined by hate but instead defined by our response of love and unity, and we encourage everyone to join us in acting with love and kindness to honor those affected by the tragedy.
For more information about how you can engage and participate in Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness, go to Orlandounitedday.com and actlovegive.com.
Flag Competition
Our City Flag Redesign Competition is in another round of public input. Mayor Dyer encourages residents to visit our website now until Monday, May 22 at 11:59 p.m. at cityoforlando.net/flag to give us your opinion on the new modified designs of the top four flags.
Flag World has also generously created and donated prototypes of the new design options and have put them on display at various locations around the city for anyone to see in person.
Details about the flag tour are also on our website.
Items of Note:
Creative Village & UCF/Valencia Downtown Campus Groundbreaking
Last Thursday, we broke ground on the new Downtown Campus to be shared by UCF and Valencia College.
We are seeing activity at and interest in the Creative Village continue to increase. We have been planning for this mixed-use development for more than a decade … and the jobs, economic impact and new educational opportunities for our residents get closer every day.
On the Monday, May 15, agenda are a number of items that relate to advancing the campus and the Creative Village, including:
- An Amendment to the Purchase Option Agreement that will establish a pricing option to build student housing at Creative Village, which was not contemplated when the original agreement was approved back in 2011.
- An item that will provide allow for the construction of a new $105 million, 15-story, 600-bed student housing development. The building, which will open in the fall of 2019, has four floors of educational space including Valencia’s culinary school on the ground floor.
Confederate Statue at Lake Eola
There is a national debate regarding monuments and memorials dedicated to the Civil War that were installed back in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Here in Orlando, we have one such monument, the confederate statue at Lake Eola Park. These statues are subject to various interpretation. Some see them as historical markers dedicated to men who died in a war. While others perceive it as a symbol of white supremacy and the vestige of slavery. With this understanding and our City’s commitment to inclusiveness, Mayor Dyer proposed to move the statue to a more appropriate location at Greenwood Cemetery within the confederate veterans section.
Mayor Dyer expressed his opinion that he does not feel the statue should be taken down permanently. His proposed plan of action is two-fold and includes:
- To engage historians from UCF and other appropriate academic institutions to develop and install an appropriate educational interpretive panel near the monument that would put the monument in proper historical context and serve as an educational tool for our community and future generations about this painful period of our history.
- To preserve this historic artifact of our past by utilizing a professional team to thoroughly inspect and carefully dismantle, move, reassemble and re-erect the statue in Greenwood Cemetery in the civil war confederate section. This would not be the first time the statue has been moved, as it was originally located on Magnolia Avenue before it was moved to Lake Eola Park in 1917.
Mayor Dyer reviewed The City’s policies and because the monument was installed long before the City’s current Memorials and Monuments Policy, he believe it’s within his authority to relocate the monument, but wanted to first consult Commissioners. Mayor Dyer believes this proposal balances the inclusive morals of our community today, while carefully preserving historic artifacts from our past that can be used to further educate and serve as important lessons in today’s society.
