Watch the Council Workshop | Watch the Council Meeting
Workshop
Ultimate I-4 Project
Construction will commence on the Ultimate I-4 project early next year. FDOT and representatives from the construction team spoke Monday about this exciting project, specifically the construction timeline, aesthetics of the project and public outreach. This $2.3B project will create thousands of local construction jobs, boost our economy and make transportation more efficient. The 21-mile makeover will transform our region and once complete, will enhance livability in our community for our businesses and our citizens.
Charles Ramdatt, who is leading the City’s coordinating team for this project, introduced the project team who, in turn, provided an update.
General Items of Note:
Commissioner Hill
Commissioner Hill was unable to be in Monday’s meeting due to a family emergency. Her Uncle was had open heart surgery after suffering from cardiac issues last weekend.
Commissioner Gray’s Birthday
Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioners wished Commissioner Gray an early happy birthday as he will be celebrating his birthday later this week on November 6.
Reminder to Vote
Tuesday, November 4, is also Election Day. Mayor Buddy Dyer reminded everyone to get out and vote. In addition to the governor’s race there are a number of local and state elections and proposed amendments that impact Orlando residents. It is important to exercise your right to vote and be a key part of the decision making process in your government.
Visit the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office website to find your specific polling place.
UCF Government
Members of the Student Government Association from the University of Central Florida were in council chambers Monday. They were at City Hall all day touring, learning about local government and then attended the City Council meeting. Mayor Buddy Dyer thanked the students for being there and wished them the best in their future careers.
Fleet Operation Named as a “Top 100”
Mayor Buddy Dyer congratulated and recognized the City of Orlando Fleet Division for their hard work and excellence. They were named for the third year in a row as one of the “Top 100” government fleet operations in the country by 100 Best Fleets for 2014. This year, they ranked 46th. This year, the team was also ranked 23rd for the Leading Fleet award and 19th for the Green Fleet award.
OFD Recognition
Mayor Buddy recognized Lt. John Jockin who was recently selected by the Florida Fire & Explosives Investigators Association (FFEIA) as the 2014 “Investigator of the Year.” John has been a Firefighter for Orlando Fire Department for 11 years. He was promoted to Lt. and became an Arson/Bomb Squad Investigator 2 years ago. During the past year he has been instrumental in solving several Arson fires, handled EOD Suspicious Packages, initiated special projects, investigated Internal Affairs cases, trained fellow Firefighters/Police Officers and attended training classes.
Bullying Update
On October 23, we joined students from the After-School All-Stars program and several community partners to announce our new anti-bullying initiative – Stand Up Orlando. Stand Up Orlando is a partnership between the Holocaust Center, Zebra Coalition and Orlando Police Department to provide year-round education to students in all of public middle schools, hire an outreach coordinator to train adults and have increased awareness throughout our entire community.
Presently, more than 1 in 4 students report being bullied throughout the school year. Through Stand Up Orlando, we want everyone in our community to make a commitment to stand up and speak out when they witness someone being mistreated.
Mayor Buddy Dyer thanked all the sponsors and partners who made Stand Up Orlando possible – including our local business community who committed more than $100,000 to support programming. Your partnership and contributions will make an invaluable impact in our community and on our youth.
To learn more about this initiative or to get involved, please visit the Stand Up Orlando page on CityofOrlando.net.
PAC Opening
On Thursday, we will officially open the doors to the Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts. There are several free events the community can enjoy to celebrate the opening. The first is attending the Ribbon Cutting on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. Then this weekend there will be community open houses on Saturday and Sunday beginning at noon. And on Saturday night, Nov. 8 there will be a free concert on the plaza featuring Sheryl Crow.
It has been a long journey to get to this opening and would not have been possible without your commitment and dedication to this project and understanding the benefits it brings to our entire community.
Veteran’s Day Parade
Also on Saturday, November 8, Mayor Buddy Dyer’s Veterans Advisory Council will host the City’s 15th annual Veterans Day Parade to honor the courageous men and women of our armed forces. The parade begins at Orange Avenue and Robinson Street in Downtown Orlando at 11 a.m.
The parade will consist of participants from Central Florida veteran organizations, active duty military, American Gold Star Mothers, high school marching bands and junior ROTC units and community youth groups.
Mayor Dyer encourages you to join us at the parade and thank our veterans and active duty military for their service.
Downtown Events Parking
With these 2 events plus a Solar Bears Game, we expect a lot of people in Downtown Orlando and our DDB has created a user-friendly website with parking and transportation information including directions.
Transportation Planning will be your resource for parking and transportation information. Throughout Downtown, there will also be road closure signage and electronic message signs that will have up-to-date information. Patrons are also encouraged to utilize the free ParkIN’ app developed by the Downtown Development Board.
Agenda Items of Note:
CRA #4 – Local Match Funding for Starter Corps
On Monday’s CRA agenda was a commitment to provide $100,000 in local match funds for a US Economic Development Administration grant application to create “Starter Corps.”
A partnership between UCF, and Downtown’s Canvs and Starter Studio, Starter Corps will be a non-profit evergreen fund that will provide urgently needed seed-stage capital for technology startups to grow into sustainable companies.
If the grant is awarded, proceeds from the grant would be used to incorporate and launch the fund and to implement an intensive 3-month mentoring program through Starter Studio which is located at Canvs in the Church Street Exchange Building.
An evergreen seed fund like Starter Corps is the missing link in Downtown’s technology ecosystem and will provide critical capital to Orlando’s most promising tech startups, which are the foundation of every innovation-based economy in the world.
C # 2 – QTI
The City Council considered a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Resolution supporting the development of staySky Vacation Club’s international headquarters in the City of Orlando. This company is a new business venture by Sky Resort Management who is currently headquartered in Orlando.
If this incentive is approved, this corporate expansion will result in 88 new high wage-high value jobs for local residents. It is important that we invest in the growth of local companies like Sky Resort Management and their new venture staySky Vacation Club. We look forward to seeing this company’s continued success.
