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City,
Mayor on Facebook
For those of you
who enjoy keeping in touch with friends,
business associates and organizations
through your Facebook page, you can now
become a fan of both the City of Orlando and
Mayor Buddy Dyer. The City of Orlando page
provides information on upcoming events,
City programs, links to City videos, as well
as city council meeting information. The
Orlando Mayor’s page will keep fans up to
date on the Mayor’s activities and
initiatives, including behind the scene
photos and video.
This new service is part of the City’s
continuing effort to keep in touch with all
its residents and to take advantage of new
technology. Click to find
City of Orlando and
Mayor Buddy Dyer
on Facebook.
Downtown Projects Recognized
The
International Downtown Association (IDA) has
acknowledged the City of Orlando with Awards
of Distinction for two recent projects, the
Paramount at Lake Eola featuring Publix and
the Plaza Downtown featuring Downtown’s
first movie theater, the Plaza Cinema Café.
The IDA recognizes projects and developments
in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa
that show excellence in areas such as
planning, economic development and
sustainable development.
Share Your Favorite
Day Downtown
Budget Travel
wants to get the local scoop on what’s cool
in Downtown Orlando. Their magazine is
asking Orlando residents to share their
favorite attractions, restaurants, walks,
parks, night life and other amenities in
Downtown for an upcoming issue. One lucky
participant will get their photo included in
the article. You can fill out the survey at
http://budgettravel.com/bt-srv/mytown/.
The Pottery Studio
The City of
Orlando’s Pottery Studio is now offering an
adult pottery program and a family pottery
workshop. The adult pottery program is
offered to adults of all skill levels and
schedules. This 13 week program is $45 for
adults and $30 for seniors who are residents
of the City of Orlando. Sessions are
on-going and registration is accepted at
anytime.
The family
pottery workshop brings children and parents
together to create unique, hand-built
projects in clay. The workshop is $10 for
adults and $5 for children.
For more information including dates, studio
hours and costs for non-residents
click here
or call 407.246.4488. The Pottery Studio is
located at 649 W. Livingston Street.
Orlando Scorchers
Continue Winning Streak
 Mayor Buddy
Dyer’s Orlando Scorchers smoked Kansas City,
Missouri’s Funk’s Footballers in a 65 to 51
victory in the Yahoo Sports Mayoral
Face-off. The charity competition will award
$15,000 to the city that wins the season. If
Mayor Dyer wins, the prize will be split
between the Parramore Kidz Zone and the
Orlando After-School All-Stars. Both
programs provide sports and educational
programs to children who would otherwise not
have the opportunity.
This week, the
Scorchers are set to torch the 0-2 Tampa Con
Leches of Mayor Pam Iorio for an in-state
rivalry with bragging rights on the line. To
follow the action, visit
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f2/mayoral-faceoff.
Donate to Help Save Lake Eola Park Fountain
 The
Lake Eola Park Fountain is currently
inoperable due to damage from a lightning
strike. This historic fountain has been the
central feature of Lake Eola Park and
Downtown Orlando since its installation in
1957. The outpouring of concern for the
state of the Lake Eola Park Fountain has
been a testament to its significance as a
local landmark. The City appreciates its
residents’ desire to help in this situation
and would like to address the fastest and
most effective way people can make a
difference.
People can make
a tax-deductible donation specifically for
the Lake Eola Park Fountain. The City’s
Families, Parks and Recreation Department
manages
Orlando Community and Youth Trust, Inc.
(OCYT), the 501(c)(3) non-profit fundraising
arm of the organization. If you are
interested in supporting the Lake Eola Park
Fountain restoration project, go to the
OCYT
website to donate either using PayPal or
check or contact Brenda March, the
President of OCYT at
Brenda.March@cityoforlando.net or
407.246.4295.
Watch a history of the Lake Eola Fountain. |
This
spirit of volunteerism, inspired President Barack
Obama’s “United We Serve” initiative. Locally,
this initiative was kicked off when Secretary of
Homeland Security Janet Napolitano joined me at
our Emergency Operations Center to participate
in a volunteer project. Together, with other
City volunteers, we built emergency kits that
were then distributed to families. 
Link-Up
Florida and Lifeline Assistance programs have
been established by The Florida Public Service
Commission in an effort to give low-income
customers effective savings on phone line
hook-ups and servicing. Under the program,
Link-Up Florida gives a 50% rebate on the
initial telephone hook-up charge and the
Lifeline Assistance program gives a $13.50
credit per month on local phone bills. For more
information, including questions about
eligibility, guidelines and online applications,
visit the
Buy
Local Orlando is under way and each week
we want to make sure you know that you can get
great deals, discounts and offers. There are
more than 150 merchant members participating in
the Buy Local Orlando campaign
offering special offers and discounts
exclusively to Buy Local Orlando
consumers. 
Another
effort under Strengthen Orlando amends the
City’s Land Development Code, permanently
extending the time frame during which certain
land development approvals are valid. It also
grants a one year extension to master plan and
conditional use permits approvals and grants a
six month extension to variances and historic
preservation approvals.
On Friday,
September 11, the Orange County Chapter of the
National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) awarded the Community
Partner Award to the Central Florida Police
Athletic League (CFPAL) at its 54th annual
Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet. The Orlando
Police Department's Captain Charles Robinson
accepted the award on behalf of CFPAL. Captain
Robinson is the president of the board of
directors of CFPAL and has been involved with
CFPAL for more than 15 years. The mission of
CFPAL is to prevent crime and violence, develop
citizenship skills and promote respect for the
law by providing athletic, educational and
recreational opportunities to at-risk youth in
Central Florida. 
You
don’t have to drive downtown to see the progress
of the Amway Center. Watch the progress of the
construction with the Amway Center Webcams.
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, the cameras
take a picture every 15 minutes and save the
photos so viewers can watch the progress like a
movie. The webcams can be found 
