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September 5, 2008 - City News |
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Mayor's
Message |
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Dear Friend,
September 15 marks the beginning of
Hispanic Heritage Month. This nationally
observed event is an opportunity for us to
celebrate the culture and traditions of U.S.
residents who trace their roots to Spain, the
Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America and
the Caribbean. The starting date coincides with
the anniversary of independence for five Latin
American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition,
Mexico declared its independence on September 16
and Chile on September 18. I am proud to
celebrate this occasion to honor the
contribution of Hispanic and Latin-American
culture in our City.
One way you can celebrate Hispanic
Heritage Month is to attend the City’s second
annual Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off
Celebration. Please join me and members of the
my Hispanic Advisory Network for a day full of
food, music and performances on Sunday,
September 14 at the Walt Disney Amphitheater at
Lake Eola Park. The event begins at 12 p.m.,
with a special program at 2 p.m. featuring guest
speakers and a presentation of the flags of
Latin American countries. Pedro Brull, a local
Hispanic artist, has created an art piece that
serves as the icon of this event that will be on
exhibit.
 This
event would not be possible without the
assistance and guidance of the members of my
Hispanic Advisory Network and H.O.L.A., the
Hispanic Office for Local Assistance. The
Hispanic Advisory Network consists of volunteer
employees of the City of Orlando. It is their
goal to aid myself and the City Commissioners in
our efforts to better serve the needs of our
City’s growing and diverse Hispanic population.
The members explore, evaluate and recommend
ideas with the intent to enhance the connection
between citizens and our City government. The
Hispanic Office for Local Assistance connects
individuals and families new to the Orlando
community with the information, resources and
tools needed for a successful transition to
their new home.
For more information on the
kick-off celebration, visit
cityoforlando.net/esp.
Sincerely,
Buddy Dyer
Mayor
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This section of
City News provides public safety updates on new and ongoing City
initiatives and opportunities for citizens to become engaged in their
neighborhoods.
National Preparedness Month
 Many
communities across the country have been affected by the recent
onslaught of severe weather. Some of us are still recovering from
Tropical Storm Fay. The series of extreme weather over the past few
weeks serves as an important reminder of the need for everyone to be
prepared for emergencies.
One of the most useful things that individuals and families can prepare
is a disaster emergency kit. When preparing for a possible emergency
situation, it's best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh
water, food, clean air and warmth. It is also important to customize
your emergency kit to meet your family’s needs.
- Water, one gallon of water per
person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of
non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio
and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for
both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask, to help filter
contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to
shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and
plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off
utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains
canned food)
- Local maps
By evaluating your own personal needs,
making an emergency plan and an emergency supply kit, you and your loved
ones can be better prepared.
Visit
cityoforlando.net to review an
emergency supply checklist, download an emergency plan and link to local
information.
Para información en Español visite
www.cityoforlando.net/esp.
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Park Spotlight
The City of
Orlando Parks Division is one of many divisions
credited with keeping Orlando the "City
Beautiful." There are more than 100 parks
located throughout the City, in neighborhoods
and adjacent to community centers consisting of
scenic parks, exercise courses, bike paths and
playgrounds.
Blue Jacket
Park
 For
more than 30
years, this site served as the Orlando Naval
Training Center and was home to thousands of
Naval service personnel known as "Blue Jackets." In
2000, the City of Orlando designated 75 acres of
this historic site as a public park to give
residents a special place for reflection and
physical renewal.
Park visitors can choose from a variety of
outdoor amenities including three baseball
fields, a soccer field, several walking paths
and a beautiful feature fountain. This sprawling
green space expands to other areas in Baldwin
Park including Lake Suzanne, Lake Baldwin and
breathtaking Harbor Park.
For more
information on today’s featured park, or to
locate a park in your neighborhood, visit
http://www.cityoforlando.net/fpr/Html/parks.asp
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Events Center Webcam
 Watch
the progress of the construction of the new
Events Center with the Events Center Webcam.
Showing a bird’s eye view of the two blocks
south of Church Street and west of I-4 which
will become the home of the City’s new venue for
sports, music and entertainment, this camera
takes a picture every 15 minutes and saves the
photos so viewers can watch the progress like a
movie. The webcam can be found online.
Community Venues Construction Update
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Budget Hearings and
Open House
 Mayor
Buddy Dyer and the Orlando City Council will
hold two public hearings as a part of the City’s
annual budget approval process. The public
hearings are being held on Monday, September 8
at 5:01 p.m. and Monday, September 15 at 7:01
p.m. Both hearings will be held at City Hall
(400 S. Orange Avenue) in Council Chambers on
the second floor.
Both of these
public hearings will be accompanied by a
Community Budget Open House in the City Hall
rotunda. The September 8 open house will begin
at 4:00 p.m. and the September 15 open house
will begin at 6:00 p.m. City finance staff and
other key departments will be on-hand to
distribute information and answer questions
about the upcoming budget. Staff will also be
available to provide residents an estimate of
their City taxes using the City's tax calculator
at cityoforlando.net. Additionally, City staff
will be on-site to educate residents about core
City services.
For residents not
able to attend the open house, a City tax
calculator is available online at
cityoforlando.net. For more information on
the Community Budget Open House, contact the
Office of Neighborhood and Community Affairs at
407.246.2169.
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Did You Know? |
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Medical City Update
The Medical City at Lake Nona in
southeast Orlando continues to emerge as a
bustling life sciences cluster. Just this week,
the Burnham Institute for Medical Research
announced that is has been awarded a six-year,
$97.9 million Molecular Libraries Probe
Production Centers Network grant from the
National Institutes of Health to equip
and manage one of four small-molecule screening
and discovery centers in the nation.
Of that money, about $40
million in research funding is slated to go to
Burnham at Lake Nona which is scheduled to open
in spring 2009.
This Medical City at Lake Nona
will offer new healthcare options available to
our residents through these bio-medical and
research centers. In addition, the Medical City
and its tenants will continue to diversify the
Orlando economy by attracting high value and
high wage jobs that will drive the future of
Central Florida and the next generation economy.
Publix Opening in Downtown Orlando
Publix in Downtown
Orlando is opening on Saturday, September 6 at
8:00 a.m. This is an exciting addition to our
City core as it’s the first major chain grocery store
in Downtown in 28 years. On opening day there
will be free tote bags given to the first 500
customers as well as several food tasting
stations. Publix Super Markets has been rated
the highest-ranking supermarket for customer
satisfaction according to the American Customer
Satisfaction Index for the past 14 years and one
of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in
America” for 11 consecutive years. This 29,431
square-foot store will offer bakery, deli,
floral, fresh seafood and pharmacy departments,
as well as a lunch window that allows customers
to approach from the outside of the building to
order quick meals. Store hours will be 7 a.m. to
10 p.m. daily except for opening day when the
store will open at 8 a.m. It is located at the
Paramount on Lake Eola at 400 East Central
Boulevard.
Funds for Emergency Housing Assistance
Don’t Miss Out on Your Tax Return
Veterans
Day Parade Applications
Voter
Registration
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Upcoming
Events |
click for details |
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Date |
Event
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September 08, 2008 |
City of
Orlando Budget Hearing
details |
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September 11, 2008 |
September 11
Candlelight Memorial Service
details |
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September 13, 2008 |
Disaster
Volunteer Open House
details |
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September 13, 2008 |
OUC Downtown
Orlando Triathlon
detailss |
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September 14, 2008 |
Hispanic
Heritage Month Kick Off Celebration
details |
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September 15, 2008 |
City of
Orlando Budget Hearing
details |
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September 18, 2008 |
CityKidz!
Buddy's Benefit for Children
details |
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September 19, 20088 |
POW-MIA
Recognition Ceremony
details |
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September 28, 2008 |
Downtown
Concert Series
details |
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October 02, 2008 |
State of
Downtown
details |
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Sundays |
Orlando
Farmers Market
details |
click for details
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Road Closures |
•
For information on
road closures please visit:
our site.
• For up-to-date
information on I-4 lane and ramp closures please
visit:
trans4mation.org
• For the latest
East-West Expressway updates please visit:
http://www.oocea.com/constructionupdate/roadupdates.shtml |
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City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
Fax: 407.246.2842
Email:
buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net |
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Florida has a very broad public records law.
As a result, any written communication created or received by City of
Orlando officials and employees will be made available to the public and
media, upon request, unless otherwise exempt. Under Florida law, email
addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address
released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic
mail to this office. Instead, contact our office by phone or in writing.
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