Dear friends,

This Wednesday, I made my annual State of the City Address. As I stated last year, "the foundation for our future has been laid" and we are now seeing the fruits of our vision and labor. The state of our City is strong. Our successes and challenges can be summed up in three words – Pride, Progress and Partnerships.

Pride in who we are as a community and in experiencing our City’s history in the making. Progress in moving forward with a bold vision and commitment to the future, understanding that the best solution isn’t always the easiest one. And partnerships, recognizing that our greatest successes will not be reached alone but through partnerships between government, business and community groups, and most importantly, our citizens.

Our City is, in many ways, stronger than it has ever been. And, while we are faced daily with the challenges of growth, we are committed to diligently finding solutions that benefit the greater good.

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "The American city should be a collection of communities where every member has a right to belong. It should be a place where every man feels safe on his streets and in the house of his friends … this is what man sought at the dawn of civilization. It is what we seek today."

I believe this is what we strive for, and as I look at our history in the making, I am honored to be a part of the future serving as your Mayor.

Sincerely,

Buddy Dyer
Mayor

The State of the City address is available online to read, watch or listen to as a podcast.

PUBLIC SAFETY

SAFE Orlando Task Force Recommendations

• Final recommendations of the SAFE Orlando Task Force will be presented to City Council on March 26, but in advance, Mayor Dyer has already committed to the addition of a fourth OPD patrol division that will encompass a specialized TAC squad (an additional 10 officers and 1 sergeant).

• On Wednesday, Crimeline distributed the first $1,000 cash reward from an anonymous tip that resulted in the arrest and recovery of firearms used in multiple armed robberies in Orlando and Orange County.
  
  
• In the five weeks since the launch of the program, more than 95 tips have been called into Crimeline.

• Citizen Observer Program (C.O.P) volunteers serve as additional "eyes and ears" for OPD, patrolling the streets with an enhanced presence in neighborhoods to deter criminal activity.
  
  
• Mayor Dyer issued a call for retired police and fire personnel, and veterans to expand the C.O.P program. More than 20 individuals have responded and will join this specialized squad.

• The City of Orlando launched an information clearinghouse and a dedicated graffiti hotline through Keep Orlando Beautiful (KOB) to streamline the process for graffiti removal.
  
  
• Citizens can call in and report graffiti at 407-254-GRAF (4723) or an online form is available at www.cityoforlando.net. [link to http://cityoforlando.net/public_works/graffiti/Graffiti.aspx ]

• The Orlando Magic has announced a quarter of a million dollar contribution to take at-risk youth off the streets and provide them with positive opportunities for success. Funding will support the Roving Leaders program through the Parramore Kidz Zone and the After-School All-Stars program.

• Through a partnership with A Gift for Teaching and the Parramore Kidz Zone, Mayor Dyer is opening dedicated, after-school labs or "Homework Roomz" throughout the City to provide children with tutoring, access to computers, the Internet and supplies.

• Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) has reached more than 2,000 at-risk children and their families, providing access to healthcare, after-school programs, tutoring, pre-k education and mentoring.
  
  
• The launch of the Kidz Zone Mentoring Program to recruit and support 250 mentors, will not only provide positive role models for children, but serve as a pilot program to be replicated citywide.
  
  
• More than 400 youth and teens have received scholarships and other assistance to participate in summer programs or after school sports team through the PKZ.

• House of Moves, the world’s largest motion capture service bureau, will co-locate an east coast operation in the Downtown Orlando Creative Village at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy.
  
  
• House of Moves has film credits including Polar Express, Spiderman II and Titanic, House of Moves is a cornerstone project for the Downtown Orlando Creative Village.

• Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund is committed to bringing a $70 million investment to the Parramore Heritage neighborhood, providing opportunities for affordable housing, new jobs and retail development.

• As part of the Walt Disney World Resort’s Year of a Million Dreams, the talented professionals at Disney Imagineering will take their creative genius and transform the Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola into an art deco inspired venue.

• Since October 2006, District 5 Commissioner Daisy W. Lynum and District 6 Commissioner Samuel B. Ings have worked with City staff and community venues partners to develop a comprehensive approach to ensure the economic impact directly benefits the local community.
  
  
• A significant portion of the economic impact generated from the community venues would be in local wages:
  
  
  • Construction – would create 10,800 jobs and $453 million in wages.
    
    
  • Operations – would support 7,500 ongoing jobs and $247 million annually in wages.
    
    
  • Ancillary Development – there will also be significant opportunities as new retail outlets, restaurants and other businesses open up around the venues.

• The City is working with OUC and Orange County to secure a more than $100,000 grant to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy's "Solar America Initiative." This two-year project is designed to create a streamlined, practical approach to helping Central Florida invest in renewable energy technologies, including exploring the development of the City’s first "Green Fleet."
  
  
• The City and OUC are partnering to study the feasibility of using municipal solid waste as a renewable energy source.
  
  
• This year OUC also will begin constructing one of downtown's "greenest" developments. By integrating a variety of high tech conservation and efficiency features, OUC's new administration building will meet nationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria.

On Friday, March 2, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson announced final plans to build a new hospital for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Lake Nona Boulevard in the City of Orlando.

"Today is a victory for our veterans and for our community. Our veterans deserve a new hospital – and what a better place then at Lake Nona in the City of Orlando, where we are now building, together, an entire Medical City," said Mayor Buddy Dyer.

The new VA hospital will be a state-of-the-art health care facility, improving access to VA's world-class services and reducing travel time for many Central Florida veterans and their families.

For the first time, VA’s acute care, complex specialty care and advanced diagnostic services will be available for inpatients in east central Florida. More than 90,000 veterans already enrolled in VA health care will directly benefit from the location.

The complex will include a 134-bed hospital, a 120-bed nursing home, a 60-bed domiciliary, an outpatient clinic, a veterans benefits office to help veterans with financial benefits and generous parking.

The new Orlando VA Medical Center will be located in a health care and research district that includes the planned University of Central Florida medical school, the Burnham Institute, and Nemours, providing important clinical and research opportunities for the VA hospital.

Scheduled to open in 2012, veterans can expect to see construction activity next year as grading and site preparation begin.

This section of City News provides public safety updates on new and ongoing City initiatives and opportunities for citizens to become engaged.

Primrose Plaza Open House
On Friday, Mayor Dyer attended the City’s grand opening of Primrose Plaza. This 40,000 square-foot facility will provide Orlando residents easier access City services. The plaza includes:

• An additional police sub-station serving the north patrol division, optimizing the level of service to residents in the area with an increased police presence
  
  
• A permanent home for the Hispanic Office of Local Assistance (HOLA) program that equips newly relocated individuals and families with the tools and resources from housing to jobs to child care
  
  
• The administrative hub of Families, Parks and Recreation’s (FPR) that oversee more than 100 parks, 22 community centers and youth programs
  
  
• A centralized location for the Orlando Fire Department’s (OFD) Training Division, Special Operations and Bomb Squad
  

Tuesday, March 6, 7 p.m. - Rock Lake Community Center, 440 North Tampa Avenue

Monday, March 19, 7 p.m. - Dover Shores Community Center, 1400 Gaston Foster Road

Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m. – Blankner Elementary School, 2500 South Mills Avenue

Wednesday, April 4, 7 p.m. – Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center, 1723 Bruton Boulevard

Monday, April 16, 7 p.m. – NorthLake Park Community School, 9055 NorthLake Parkway

At Monday’s City council workshop, City Engineer Rick Howard updated the council on FEMA’s new Floodplain Map Modernization initiative. This multi-year project is part of the national map modernization project to produce more reliable flood risk data that will allow property owners to make better financial decisions about protecting themselves and their property. Residents can view the map for their property online and there will be open houses for residents to ask questions.

March 13, 2007 - Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) Community Coordination meeting, 10 a.m. at the Orange County Public Works Conference Room, 4200 S. John Young Parkway.

March 13, 2007 - DFIRM Open House, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City Hall Rotunda, 400 S. Orange Avenue.

March 14, 2007 - DFIRM Open House, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City Hall Rotunda, 400 S. Orange Avenue.

Mayor Dyer attended the Downtown Art District’s welcome reception for Thomas Chatmon, Jr., the City’s new Executive Director of the Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelopment Agency at the CityArts Factory on Thursday, March 1.

On Sunday, February 25, Mayor Dyer and District 5 City Commissioner Daisy W. Lynum and District 6 Commissioner Samuel B. Ings attended the street renaming ceremony in honor of the late Reverend Fred L. Maxwell. The City of Orlando, with the family of Reverend Maxwell, officially renamed Lorna Doone Boulevard to Fred L. Maxwell Boulevard.

City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
Fax: 407.246.2842
Email: buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net