October 2, 2019
360 Space at Seaside Plaza
Watch the video
DTO 360
Good afternoon.
Bridget, thank you so much.
While I’m honored to have you give the introduction... many of you know that role usually belongs to the head of our Downtown Development Board, Thomas Chatmon.
There is nobody that wants to be here today more than Thomas.
Unfortunately, this past weekend Thomas had a serious health scare.
We all know how strong Thomas is... and thankfully with help of skilled doctors at Orlando Health his life was saved.
Thomas went home from the hospital last night.
And, by the way, he’s probably watching from his home in the Solaire.
We love starting these events by saying... it’s a great day to be in Orlando... and it’s a great day to be in Downtown Orlando.
But, those words have a whole new meaning... because today truly is great because Thomas is still here... still with us... still thinking about... and still fighting for his beloved “DTO Nation.”
So, we’re going to do what Thomas would want us to do... celebrate Downtown Orlando.
But, today, we’ll celebrate it in his honor... as we wish him a speedy recovery!
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We want to thank Highwoods Properties and Seaside Plaza for letting us use this space for our annual State of Downtown Event.
Some of you might be thinking... why has the mayor gathered us in a completely empty floor of an office building?
Look around.
What do you see?
What do you think about when you look at this space?
What do you feel?
To me... this space personifies two important narratives in the shared story of our Downtown.
A Blank Space
The first narrative is that of a blank space.
Right now this room is, literally, a blank space.
Soon... a company will look at this floor and see something special.
They’ll see their future.
They’ll invest in this space.
Through hard work and creativity, they’ll transform it into an engine of prosperity.
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When I first became Mayor, Downtown Orlando was very much a blank space.
Actually, we were worse than that.
Our own newspaper called us a “Ghost Town.”
It seemed like nobody wanted to visit... or invest... or live here.
But, instead of a ghost town... our community saw something very different.
We saw a blank space with unlimited potential.
We saw our future.
So, we committed to investing, together, in our Downtown.
We closed our eyes and imagined what could be... if we worked together.
We dared to ask big, bold questions: why not us... why not here... why not now!
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While we had big imaginations and big goals... our planning was very strategic.
As Bridget talked about... we had a unique plan.
The projects that we prioritized had to be “Gateway Projects.”
By that we mean... they had to serve as a first step to accomplishing a larger goal.
Everywhere we look today... we see powerful results of that playbook.
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Look across from us.
That’s the Plaza... our first gateway project.
As we stand here today, it’s hard to imagine a time when not much was happening in Downtown.
But, back in 2003, no one wanted to build new office, residential or mixed-use projects.
We needed a spark.
So, our original Downtown Transition Team put this 143-million-dollar project at the top of our priority list.
Through an incredible amount of effort and partnership... we made it happen.
Today, the Plaza is home to restaurants, a movie theater, 80 companies and 1,000 employees who spend their time and money in Downtown every day.
More importantly... the Plaza kick started a wave of investment and construction for downtown in residential, office and mixed-use buildings that took us to... and through... the great recession.
The Plaza kick-started our transformation into the live, work and play Downtown we know today.
A Downtown that since 2011...
Has experienced a 32 percent population growth...
Has... experienced a 30 percent increase in residential units...
Has addded more than 8,500 jobs...
Has experienced more than 1.3 billion dollars in completed projects...
And, created a pipeline of investments that are still underway with Lincoln Plaza nearing completion... and under construction a new hotel at Magnolia and Livingston... and a new 13-story mixed-use tower, the Radius.
360 Degree Center of Central Florida
So... is our work done?
Should we just take a victory lap and say... mission accomplished?
Of course not!
If we’ve learned anything in our work together... it’s that in Orlando, we always dream bigger.
We’ve accomplished so much.
But, the reality is that Downtown Orlando hasn’t even begun to realize its full potential.
Let’s say that again, together... Downtown Orlando hasn’t even begun to realize its full potential.
Earlier, we talked about how this room personifies two narratives.
The first was how we filled our blank space... what we’ve accomplished so far.
Can anyone guess what the second narrative is... and what it suggests for our future?
Look around.
What stands out?
This room has windows... lots of windows.
In fact, this room gives us the unique ability to have a 360-degree view of Downtown Orlando.
Through these windows... you see many of our accomplishments.
But, keep looking.
And, you can see Central Florida spread out before us.
You can see the horizon.
North, south, east and west.
From this vantage point... you can appreciate how important Downtown is to our entire region... and even our entire state.
That big, bright horizon IS our future.
Downtown Orlando sits at the crossroads of Florida.
That physical location sets us apart from every other Downtown.
That physical location means we have the incredible opportunity to lead Florida in the 21st century...
As the Sunshine state’s hub for transportation...
Hub for innovation...
Hub for education...
Hub for culture, food, arts and quality of life...
Hub for sports and entertainment... and so much more.
That’s why, today, we’re declaring that our mission isn’t just to keep building a great Downtown.
It’s to define our Downtown as the 360-degree center of Florida!
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360 degrees means every direction... every point on a compass.
No matter where you live in Florida... from Parramore to Pensacola... from South Street to South Beach... we want our Downtown to offer you something unique.
But, 360 degrees also means the entire spectrum of life.
We don’t just want to be a Downtown that’s good at one thing... for one set of people.
When we say our vision is to be the 360-degree center of Florida... we must be a Downtown that adds value to people’s lives in every way, shape and form.
We must be a Downtown that generates economic and social benefit for every single person that lives, works, learns, plays or visits here.
1 – The Center of Transportation & Connectivity
We will achieve this bold, shared goal by leading in seven key areas.
It all starts with connectivity.
Connectivity will help our Downtown unlock incredible economic and social benefits.
We have the opportunity to leverage SunRail to make Downtown Orlando the center of connectivity for the entire state of Florida.
Beginning with SunRail... through a direct connection to the airport... and ultimately with the Virgin Trains network... we’ll provide a way for residents and visitors to travel more easily between Florida’s population centers – Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
Those big, statewide connections enhance our work to modernize the way people get around our Downtown once they’re here.
That work includes extensive planning to enhance our Downtown streets and infrastructure.... to reimagine some of our most important streets into smaller, 2-way thoroughfares to make them more retail-friendly, more pedestrian-friendly and more bike-friendly.
It includes, through Commissioner Stuart’s leadership, our comprehensive study of the North Quarter District to enhance all modes of transportation there.
This includes cutting-edge projects like our rideshare hubs that our partners at Uber and Lyft are looking to model nationally.
This includes our digital wayfinding system.
And, it includes bike-sharing and e-scooter programs.
These micro-transit innovations are redefining how people move in Downtown environments... and providing people with last mile solutions that make urban living and working easier and less expensive.
The importance of connectivity for our future is also why we’re working with our partners at Lynx to modernize our Downtown Lymmo circulator with electric and eventually autonomous buses.
Because our future depends on connectivity and transportation... because our residents are demanding more transit options... we are standing with our residents and Mayor Demings to advocate for expanded mobility options in Central Florida.
2 – The Center For Urban Living & Quality of Life
The second area where Downtown Orlando must lead is urban living and quality of life.
We’ve done so much to remake our center City into a place people are clamoring to live.
That energy is reflected in the 70 percent population increase we’ve seen in less than two decades.
It’s reflected in our quality of life enhancements... from the Constitution Green Dog Park... to the pedestrian overpass at Colonial...to enhanced play spaces like ZL Riley Park... and the new farmer’s market in Parramore to help bring healthy food to the community.
It’s reflected in new projects like the park at Creative Village... Lake Lorna Doone Park in our West Lakes neighborhood... and our big plans to create one of the coolest public spaces in America... the Under-I Park.
The future is about what we’ll do and how we’ll work together to solve challenges.
Two of our region’s and Downtown’s biggest challenges are affordable housing and homelessness.
If Downtown is to realize its full potential, then it must be a place where anyone who wants to live... can afford to do so.
Later this month, Parramore Oaks will celebrate its grand opening.
And, we’ll also complete the next five single-family homes for residents to pursue the American dream of home ownership.
In total... in just Downtown... we’ve helped create nearly 500 multifamily housing units... rehabilitated more than 100 residential units... and we’re building 64 single family homes with down payment assistance.
That same collective energy and partnership extends to our work to uplift our homeless neighbors.
The homeless population of Central Florida has dropped nearly 11 percent in the past five years.
The HOPE team is working on the streets every day to connect our homeless neighbors with services and housing and now they have some added assistance with our Downtown Ambassadors.
Our community invested in the permanent, supportive housing model designed to place homeless individuals in housing and then surround them with the services they need.
This approach continues to work with more than 90 percent of the chronically homeless individuals and veterans we’ve placed into permanent supportive housing still housed today.
This is why we continue to invest in this model with some of the new housing units underway in Downtown dedicated to permanent supportive housing.
3 - Center For Sports & Entertainment
The third area where we must be the 360-degree center of Florida is sports and entertainment.
In many ways, our resurgence has been fueled by the investment we made in our venues more than a decade ago.
Our venues were the critical first step to transforming Downtown Orlando into a destination that can host any event the world can bring us.
Every day, we’re leveraging our geographic location at the center of the state, combined with our world-class sports and entertainment assets, and our incredible hospitality partners to host major event after major event.
We’re now hosting 1200 events a year in Downtown... double the number we were hosting just five years ago.
That includes the Orlando Magic and Orlando Solar Bears games, who are set to open their seasons after both made the playoffs last year.
That includes major community events like Come Out With Pride... Fusion Fest... our Puerto Rican Day Parade... our Arab Festival... and MLK Parade
In the last year of the old Amway Arena we hosted only 13 concerts.
This year, we have more than 40 at Amway Center and since the reconstruction of Camping World Stadium we’ve hosted five sellout stadium concerts.
We’re working with our partners at Florida Citrus Sports and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to host even more events like the NFL’s Pro Bowl once again next year... the US-Canada soccer match as we compete to host World Cup games... the Special Olympics USA Games in 2022... and the Monster Jam World Finals.
And another signature event is being launched by the Thornton Park District in January.
Part music festival, part beach bash, the first annual Orlando Hullaballoo will bring musical acts Sugar Ray and Eve 6 as well as a host of local bands for an all-day beach-themed festival.
And as only Orlando can do, this festival will feature a wakeboard track and pool that will showcase talent and tricks from an all-star team of local professional wakeboarders.
As more and more people continue coming to Downtown for events... and to explore our main streets... we’re grateful to have our Ambassadors on the streets to create a true “guest experience” for visitors.
We are a region defined by world-class hospitality.
So, our Downtown should have that same level of guest experience.
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Now, here’s the thing... we’ve only just cracked the surface of what we’re capable of doing.
We want more... we want bigger... we want better.
The biggest and best concerts on the planet.
More high-profile college football games.
International soccer matches.
The biggest college and pro basketball games.
More NFL games.
More E-Sports competitions.
And... of course World Cup in 2026.
We want these events filling the calendar... week after week...
Filling our downtown with fans... filling restaurants, bars, hotels and retail establishments with customers...
Filling our streets with electricity.
This is Downtown Orlando’s future.
And, this future is right here for us to reach out and grab.
4 - Center For Arts, Food & Culture
The fourth area where we have the opportunity to be the 360-degree center of our state... is art, food and culture.
It’s often hard to define the value of “culture” with traditional metrics.
As one of our creative leaders, Cole NeSmith, has said that really resonates... “People might move to a city for a job... but they choose to continue living in a city because of the vibrancy of their lives after they leave work.”
That’s why investing in our culture... our arts, our food, our architecture, our placemaking... is essential if we’re going to continue to grow and thrive.
We know that art is one of those intangible things that makes people want to spend time somewhere.
Art captures people’s imaginations.
Art gives a city its authentic soul.
So... in everything we do... we must make sure that art is part of it.
Our “See Art Orlando” sculpture program has been a catalyst for art throughout our Downtown.
Today, we see murals popping up all over our City like the one at Exploria Stadium that celebrates the heritage of Parramore... at Gertrude’s walk along our urban trail... and even parking garages in Thornton Park.
Commissioner Sheehan continues to champion art throughout our Downtown... and her most recent addition... the Swan Crosswalk in Thornton park also promotes pedestrian safety.
And, we’re hosting one-of-a-kind events like Immerse that brings a thousand artists of all different mediums... from all over the world... to our City.
We’re seeing unexpected experiences popping up, too... including performances by the Orlando Ballet, Philharmonic and Orlando Opera.
Of course, we are so excited to see the Steinmetz Hall at the Dr Phillips Center open for business in 2020!
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If art is the soul of a Downtown... then food is probably its heart.
Think about the best group experiences you’ve had in your life.
The majority of those memories probably involve sharing a meal.
The recipe is simple... great Downtowns have great places to eat... places that are authentic.
We’re proud that Downtown’s cuisine is reflective of our melting pot of a city... with options that go from authentic Columbian... to French... to Korean... to Vietnamese... to soul Food.
We’re making it easier for food entrepreneurs to succeed through our designated parking areas for food trucks.
We must continue to help set the table to make Downtown the most attractive place in Florida to launch that next great restaurant.
Our Main Street Districts are helping to grow Downtown as a culinary destination.
That’s why we’re supporting the food hall concept throughout Downtown... and continuing to invest in our Main Street Small Business Districts, including the expansion of the Church Street District into Parramore.
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When we talk about important cultural amenities, there’s more to it than just new restaurants and artistic innovation.
Great Downtowns share a history with their residents.
They share the good times... as well as the bad.
That’s why Downtown population centers often have places to learn... and places for quiet reflection.
The Orange County Regional History Center and the Wells Built Museum have long played this important role.
Now, we are building on their legacy with two new museums.
Both the National Pulse Memorial & Museum... and the new Holocaust Museum for Hope and Humanity... have incalculable value in helping our City, our state and even our nation “unlearn” the pathways to hate and violence.... become a reflection of the love, compassion and resilience of our City.
5 - Education
Number five on our list....
If Orlando is going to own this Century... if Florida is going to own this century... then Downtown Orlando must be the 360-degree center for education.
This has been a goal of ours since we launched the Parramore Kidz Zone to connect our most vulnerable young people with education, enrichment, healthcare and other desperately needed services.
We undertook the journey to make it happen because we knew that if we could leverage the power of education to transform Parramore... then it would help benefit every resident of the neighborhood... every part of Downtown... and every part of our Central Florida community.
Today, PKZ stands as one of this City’s proudest achievements.
It’s credited with reducing the number of juvenile arrests by 66 percent...reducing teen pregnancy by 73 percent... and for the fourth year a row, ensuring that 100 percent of the high-school seniors graduated... then went to college, post-secondary education or the military.
Today... we can draw a direct line from our investment in PKZ.... to the Ace School... to entrepreneurial training like the students who created Black Bee Honey... and now to the new UCF/Valencia Downtown Campus.
That line is one of so many reasons why the new campus is such a big deal.
The campus sets the stage for a cradle-to-career pathway for Downtown residents.
It creates instant connectivity between college coursework and real-world employers in an urban setting.
And, it attracts investment from companies looking to be a part of the most robust educational ecosystem in Florida.
6 – Opportunity For Everyone
Being a 360-degree center for education doesn’t just mean we’re a hub for 4-year degrees and advanced college educations.
It means being a central point for all manner of learning... to unlock opportunity for every single person who wants it.
It must be an engine that creates career opportunities for everyone... a place that removes barriers and opens doors to great jobs for everyone.
It means the entire spectrum of learning opportunities and career opportunities.
This aspect of what we’re building with our Creative Village and our Downtown Campus is so important... that it needs to be highlighted separately.
Our “opportunity for all” vision is exemplified in the City’s “Blueprint 2.0” – a program being led by Commissioner Hill.
Borrowing from the original Blueprint that connected Downtown residents with jobs and apprenticeship programs from our venues project... Blueprint 2.0 goes even further.
It connects residents to more than 100 short term training programs to prepare them for long-term careers in high-demand, high-wage industries with wages that start at 15, 20 or 25 dollars an hour.
We also know what a huge hurdle it is for people to stop their lives... stop working... so they can get this kind of training over a period of weeks.
Everyone... indulge me for a second and close your eyes.
Let’s get out of our comfort zone and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes for a moment.
Let’s imagine what it’s like to be a working mom or dad who makes minimum wage... or maybe even a little bit above.
Imagine how hard it is to put food on the table for your kids every week... to make ends meet for your family.
Now imagine how badly you want the chance to get a higher paying job... to make the lives of your family members just a little bit easier.
There’s a program that can help you do it... but it takes 12 to 15 weeks to complete.
12 weeks without a paycheck... or even 12 weeks with a reduced paycheck... makes that aspiration out of reach.
You simply can’t do it.
Imagine what that must feel like when you look at the faces of your kids.
We don’t have to accept this scenario.
This is our Downtown... and our Orlando.
And in our town... we don’t leave our neighbors behind.
With the opening of the new Valencia Center For Accelerated Training... that parent now has access to some of these programs within walking distance of their home if they live in Parramore.
The Blueprint 2.0 program provides enrollees with 125-dollars a week... to help eligible students pay for the costs of housing, food or childcare while getting this training.
And, Lockheed martin is just one of the many employers lined-up and ready to hire these newly-skilled workers.
The first two 10-week programs will graduate their first classes at the end of this month.
Together with our partners, we are going to use this groundbreaking program to connect residents in Parramore, throughout Downtown and our entire Central Florida community to a fair shot at opportunity!
7 - Center for the new economy and the careers of tomorrow
Innovative short-term training programs not only give individuals the opportunity to make their lives better... they help our local companies fill crucial workforce needs.
We have a long history of solving workforce challenges.
One of the best examples of this was back in 2003 when a company called Electronic Arts was growing quickly but was concerned about the lack of a talent pipeline here in Orlando.
Our City and UCF stepped up and partnered to create the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, the region’s first graduate level video game development school, which is now one of the best in the country.
FIEA just happens to be on the southern site of what today is known as our Creative Village and has continued to grow over the last 14 years.
Today, one of every seven members of EA’s Central Florida game development and production teams is a FIEA graduate.
While most everyone knows EA from its world-renowned Madden NFL Football title... if you think they’re “just” a video game company... it’s time to listen up.
EA is part of an interactive entertainment industry that, on an annual basis, is bigger than the film, home entertainment, and music industries combined.
EA has 300 million customers around the world... they are truly a global brand.
That’s roughly the population of the entire United States.
And, EA’s employees are doing work in the most cutting-edge fields on earth... everything from artificial intelligence... to 3D... to virtual reality.
Our theme today is Downtown 360.
The announcement that we’ve saved for last epitomizes what it means to truly come full circle.
Our Creative Village will be the preeminent home to the innovation economy in the southeast.
Right here... right now... we are excited to announce that Electronic Arts is coming to put the Creative... in our Creative Village!
We are partnering with Electronic Arts to relocate their state headquarters to Downtown Orlando... and to be our next great, “Gateway Project.”
We want everyone to understand why this is such a big deal.
Over the next two years, EA is going to build a state-of-the-art headquarters that will be home to more than 700 employees.
That’s 700 new neighbors... working... living... playing... and spending money in our Downtown every single day.
But, the economic impacts of having EA as an anchor of our Creative Village is only a small part of why the company’s choice to invest in its future here is such a huge deal.
EA’s presence here creates an immediate pipeline with our educational partners in and around the Creative Village.
Their presence here also serves as a magnet to attract companies and investment into the Creative Village... accelerating our industry cluster in digital media.
For those reasons... and many more... EA is the perfect partner with which to take this monumental step into the future for Downtown Orlando.
Please, everyone, join me in welcoming Electronic Arts to the Creative Village... and Downtown Orlando!
Closing and Recognitions
Alright... who’s excited about Downtown’s future?
In closing... we want to thank all of you for being here.
There are a few special recognitions we want to make.
- To our City commissioners...
- District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray...
- District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz
- District 3 Commissioner Robert Stuart
- District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan
- District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill
- And... District 6 Commissioner Sam Ings
- Thank you for your partnership and everything you do for our residents every single day and for understanding that investing in downtown matters to our entire city and region.
- Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is here. Thank you for your partnership and leadership.
- Our Orange County Commissioners and any other elected officials.
- Former Mayor Bill Fredrick is here.
- Craig Ustler and Brooke Meyers are here from the Creative Village Development team.
- All of our Downtown Orlando stakeholders... thank you for your unrelenting passion and commitment to our Downtown.
- Do we have any new attendees? Raise your hand if this is your first-time attending State of Downtown! Thank you for attending today and for your partnership.
- To our City employees... especially those who work in Downtown... I am privileged to work with you every day.
- Finally, we want to recognize one person in particular. Bridget Keefe has led the Downtown Orlando Partnership for the last 8 years. This will be her last State of Downtown Address in that role as she’s transitioning into a new job with Orlando Health. Bridget... from all of us... we want to thank you for your leadership... and everything you’ve done as one of the head champions and cheerleaders for our beloved DTO. Please, everyone join me in recognizing Bridget and wishing her well.
Thank you, everyone, for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be with us today.
If we can leave you with one, final thought... it’s this.
We control our own destiny in a way that no other Downtown in our state does... and maybe no other Downtown in our country.
Because of all of you.... our partners... it’s Downtown Orlando’s time.
It’s time to unlock Downtown’s full potential.
Thank you!
God Bless America.
God Bless Orlando.
And... God bless Downtown Orlando!