2023 State of Downtown
September 27, 2023
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Watch the video
DTO 2.0
EVERYONE’S NEIGHBORHOOD
Good afternoon champions of Downtown Orlando.
Welcome to the Doctor Phillips Center and to the new Steinmetz Hall.
You might be interested to know that Steinmetz Hall was just recognized by Architectural Digest as one of the eleven most beautiful theaters in the world.
It took vision, partnership, and determination to make this extraordinary theater and this entire venue and a reality.
In that way, it’s an ideal setting for this discussion about the future of our beloved Downtown!
The original “Project DTO” was transformational for Downtown Orlando.
We gathered diverse perspectives and opinions about how to:
- Guide Downtown’s growth.
- Position Downtown as a powerful economic engine not just for Orlando or Orange County, but the entire region.
- And, leverage Downtown to enhance quality of life for everyone in our community.
From that thoughtful, collaborative process a shared vision was born.
First, that our Downtown needed to be much more than a Monday-to-Friday nine-to-five employment center and more than just a weekend entertainment destination.
Second, that our Downtown should possesses something unique for everyone and be a place that benefits everyone in Central Florida.
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We’ve worked together to bring our vision to life.
- We remade Downtown into a premier 21st century education hub with the UCF-Valencia Downtown Campus, FAMU’s law School and the Parramore community school.
- We established the Creative Village as an innovation district, setting a generational foundation to attract employers like EA – and created a true cradle-to-career pipeline for our community.
- We reimagined downtown as a highly attractive place to live ushering in a residential boom that doubled Downtown’s population.
- We developed venues that can host any major event the world offers.
- We also invested in museums, cultural amenities, festivals and our arts organizations to build out a diverse spectrum of offerings.
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As we all know, the Pandemic hit in 2020.
COVID altered the landscape for every major downtown.
Everyone is still trying to understand how the explosion of remote work will ultimately impact everything from the commercial office market to transportation to restaurants to all the small businesses that support an urban environment.
Here’s a stat that illustrates the challenge.
More than a third of the world’s office desks now sit empty.
Desks-in-downtowns were the lynchpin of urban economic development.
It used to be a straightforward, reliable playbook.
Get a company headquarters to your downtown and the workers will come.
Workers then fill apartments and condos.
Workers fill restaurants and attract retail.
Workers help draw additional investment.
And, the vibrancy those workers create attracts residents, visitors and helps grow entertainment options.
That WAS the playbook.
But, that tried and true playbook is no more.
So, as we examine the state of Downtown Orlando we’re at an inflection point.
We find ourselves with both the opportunity and the imperative to be a city that leads.
We must expand our playbook.
And, as we all know. in Orlando, everything we do and everything we are revolves around partnership and collaboration.
So, is everyone here ready to help author a new playbook?
Let’s get started.
There’s a famous line from Wayne Gretzky.
I know it’s September and it’s still hot but I’m quoting a hockey player.
It also seems like the ideal moment to remind everyone that the Amway Center will host two of the NHL’s best teams in the Tampa Bay Lighting and the Florida Panthers in a game next month.
But, back to Wayne Gretzky.
He said, “I don’t skate to where the puck is I skate to where the puck is going to be.”
Downtowns that skate to where the puck is going will own the future.
Downtowns that cling to the past will be left behind.
So, where is the puck going?
Simply put it’s no longer primarily about attracting companies.
It’s no longer about a downtown that revolves around office space.
This is not to say that attracting company headquarters is no longer important – it is.
It’s just that everything else that makes a Downtown desirable is equally important.
It’s about doing more and being more.
It’s about building a Downtown that appeals directly to the workers themselves.
Let’s say that again It’s about building a Downtown that appeals directly to the workers themselves.
So, how do we accomplish this?
We do it by being brave and bold.
We do it by diversifying.
We do it by leveraging private sector innovation, investment, and partnership not just to launch major projects but to help solve challenges as well.
We do it by continuing to develop a downtown that creates a unique identity for our region.
We do it by becoming the convening place for culture.
We do it by offering an unmatched quality of life.
We do it by reimagining Downtown Orlando not as a singular employment destination but as an authentic neighborhood a neighborhood that belongs to everyone in Central Florida.
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Our playbook for growing Downtown Orlando into a neighborhood that belongs to everyone is the focus of what we’re calling: Project DTO 2.0.
DTO 2.0 is about “skating to where the puck is going.”
The good news is we’ve got a great head start.
Much of what we put into place with the original Project DTO were the right moves for this post-pandemic environment.
While we are in a strong position there’s still much work to do and meaningful challenges to overcome.
Today, we’re going to explore our DTO 2.0 plan in three, key focus areas:
- A Safe Downtown
- A Downtown for Everyone
- And, a Downtown that diversifies and strengthens our economy
First and foremost, a thriving neighborhood must be a safe neighborhood.
That’s why keeping Downtown safe remains our top priority.
We have a robust nightlife scene that is unfortunately also attracting individuals who are coming here with the intent of engaging in illegal activity.
Let us be very clear – we are going to do whatever it takes to address this challenge.
We’ve developed an after-midnight permit program with our bar and nightlife stakeholders to pay for 30 an additional off-duty police officers.
This is in addition to the 25 officers dedicated to our urban core.
We created a new specialized patrol unit with eleven officers focused on preventing violent crime.
And, we’ve added a DUI squad focused on Downtown.
That’s more than 70 officers dedicated to solving this challenge and keeping every inch of Downtown safe.
Along with a dramatically increased police presence we’re also addressing this challenge from all angles, by ramping up enforcement of noise violations and increasing lighting and parking lot safety.
Just weeks ago, that new specialized unit did exactly what it was designed to do when its members saw suspects dealing drugs.
They engaged the suspects who opened fire on them critically wounding two of our officers.
I’d like to take a moment to recognize our officers and give an update on their conditions.
We’re thankful to report that both are doing well and are expected to make a full recovery.
These officers, and our entire OPD team, are why we can say with confidence that we will not falter in our mission to keep Downtown safe.
Ridding Downtown of this recent spate of criminal activity won’t happen overnight.
It’s going to require partnership and dedication to stay the course.
But, we will get it done, together.
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We also know that for many in this room, concerns around safety extend to challenges with panhandling and graffiti.
Increased numbers of unsheltered people are a challenge in every major city right now.
And, a small percentage of that unsheltered population is engaging in aggressive panhandling and other disruptive behavior creating challenges for our businesses and is a barrier for families that want to spend time Downtown.
Let us say this very clearly, this is not acceptable.
We cannot and will not have a City where our collective quality of life is diminished by this type of activity.
That said we cannot and will not abandon the most vulnerable among us.
This is why we’ve enhanced our Downtown Ambassador program, to provide direct assistance to those experiencing homelessness with connections to immediate social services, such as shelter, identification, and counseling.
We launched a graffiti removal program to assist businesses in paying to quickly repair incidents of vandalism.
We also made the most significant investment in this area in our City’s history with Accelerate Orlando delivering 58 million dollars to help expand housing opportunities for income-constrained residents and reduce homelessness.
While other major cities had no choice but to use once-in-a-generation federal funding to cover deficits they’d incurred during the pandemic, Orlando was different.
Our superior financial management allowed us to instead invest in the Christian Service Center, Salvation Army, the Coalition for the Homeless and others to help greatly expand services for our most vulnerable neighbors.
Accelerate Orlando is making a difference.
But, discussing dollars and services only goes so far in understanding the scope of the challenge and what it takes to address it.
We often describe homelessness as a broad issue.
But, the reality is that it’s incredibly personal and complex.
Meet Joel, Tina, Brad and Sylvester.
They are members of our HOPE Team.
The Hope team is on the streets every day, working with those who are unsheltered, helping to understand their specific challenges and connect them with assistance.
This work is not easy.
It can be incredibly frustrating, watching the most vulnerable among us refuse help struggle with severe mental health challenges or revert to unsafe lifestyle choices after starting down a path of resiliency.
But, HOPE Team members describe their jobs as a privilege.
They do their work with smiles on their faces compassion in their hearts and are eager to make a personal connection with everyone they meet.
When you ask why they’ll tell you it’s because the people they’re helping are in desperate need of a friend an advocate someone to fight for them.
How about we thank Joel, Tina, Brad and Sylvester our DTO ambassadors and the service providers working every day in our City.
Our next focus area is driving the evolution of DTO into a true Downtown for everyone.
Whether you’re a recent college grad who loves the vibrancy of an urban environment or you’re an empty nester who wants the convenience of condo living with access to great restaurants we want you to think of DTO as YOUR neighborhood.
We’ve doubled the number of Downtown residents in the last 20 years with 50 percent of that growth occurring in just the last six years.
Today, more than 20-thousand people call Downtown home, with more choosing Orlando’s urban environment every day.
We’ll welcome more residents in the months ahead when Society Orlando opens in January with 462 new apartments, including a giant E-sports arena and an arcade.
The Commons will add 400 more apartments at the corner of Rosalind and Pine with retail and office space.
And, the Edge at Garland and Church will usher in a new SunRail station along with 234 multifamily units.
On top of those projects we’ve also got more than 13-hundred new residential units currently in development throughout Downtown.
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Increasing housing stock is important but so is helping address the challenge of housing affordability.
That’s why we’re so focused on creating and preserving housing units at all income levels.
We’ve helped preserve or add to our affordable housing stock with:
- More than 350 units of affordable housing in Creative Village.
- More than 200 units of affordable housing at Parramore Oaks.
- The construction of 16 new single-family homes for working families.
- Nearly 200 affordable housing units for seniors at the Roberts in the South Eola district.
- We created the Parramore Asset Stabilization program a partnership with the Central Florida Foundation to purchase and renovate more than 80 blighted rental units so Parramore residents can stay in their neighborhood.
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Making Downtown Orlando into that “neighborhood for everyone” means we can’t rest on our laurels when it comes to being the place Central Florida comes to play.
Whether you live along Orange Avenue, in College Park, Lake Mary, Kissimmee or Lake Nona we want you to think of Downtown Orlando as your neighborhood.
It’s important to understand people don’t spend their leisure time here in a generic sense.
They want to be here for specific reasons.
Maybe they fell in love with the Korean BBQ cheesesteak at the Neighborhood Eatery.
Perhaps they’re crazy-passionate theater buffs and a Broadway show on Friday night at the Doctor Phillips Center is the center of their universe.
Maybe a stroll around Lake Eola and a stop at the farmer’s market is a weekend tradition.
Or, maybe they can’t get enough of the burgers at one of our hot new restaurants – Papi Smash.
I know that’s the case for me and our City Hall team!
Whatever the reason these only-in-DTO experiences are central to our vision for Downtown as a neighborhood for everyone.
We must preserve and grow these only-in-DTO destinations.
A perfect example of how to do it is Greenery Creamery.
Marie Mercado and Mo Hassan opened their business with the dream of making ice cream you can’t find anywhere else.
Things were difficult for their fledgling small business when the pandemic hit.
But out of those challenging times came innovation.
The City created a “parklet” – basically a mini park with seating - outside their front door.
Marie and Mo discovered most customers want to order and spend time in the parklet. or enjoy their treat while walking to Lake Eola Park or other Downtown destinations.
Their business is now thriving, and they’ve taken lessons learned to open two more shops, including one in our Mills 50 Main Street District.
The Greenery Creamery is a success story but it’s also a larger lesson it’s a showcase of the power of community, the strength of neighborhoods and the vibrancy of our small businesses.
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So, where else are we adapting and innovating as we build a neighborhood for everyone?
We already know how arts and culture and parks and green space enhance our quality of life.
But, in our new playbook, they are more important than ever.
Having a wide range of amenities that appeal to everyone is more important than ever.
That’s why we’re excited to have Fringe on Church Street soon to be joined by SAK Comedy Lab.
That’s why we continue to invest in parades like the ones we host on Veterans Day, MLK Day, Florida Puerto Rican Day and Come Out With Pride.
That’s why we’re excited to see construction begin on the Holocaust Museum for Hope and Humanity next year.
That’s why we opened two new downtown parks in the last two years Luminary Green and Lake Lorna Doone Park.
That’s why we’re expanding and modernizing our iconic, signature park at Lake Eola that includes a community mural.
That’s why we’re so excited about our newest park, Art-squared, featuring a café and local artists, performance stage, covered seating and rotating food trucks.
When it comes to only-in-DTO amenities every square inch of Downtown can be a canvas for creativity.
That’s why we’re transforming alleyways into unique gathering spaces and turning traffic boxes and crosswalks into pieces of public art to create unique and surprising experiences.
And, once again our “Downtown for the Holidays” programming will feature something festive for everyone from holiday lights and our Christmas tree to free music and movies on the lawn at Lake Eola Park to snowfalls to drone shows to shopping and dining and Santa himself.
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We already know how major events and sports add to Downtown’s vitality.
But, in our new playbook, they are more important than ever.
That’s why we must be relentless in our mission to host the biggest and best events.
Think about it.
Only weeks ago – Orlando was the center of the college football world when we hosted the FSU-LSU game with our partners at Florida Citrus Sports.
And, the road to Paris runs through Downtown Orlando where a few months from now we’ll host the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials with our partners GO Sports and Track Shack.
The Orlando Magic are starting their 35th season.
We’ve got two major bowl games, the Florida Classic and the NFL Pro Bowl.
And, we’re a soccer hotbed with playoff-bound Orlando City, Orlando Pride and international matches with iconic teams like the ones that took place this year at Camping World Stadium with Real Madrid, Juventus, and Chelsea.
If we want to continue to host these events and attract more major events we must plan we must invest and we must partner together to secure our future.
That’s why we must upgrade our Amway Center and Camping World Stadium.
Remember, this isn’t just about shows and games, it’s also about leveraging events to create opportunity for our residents.
Here’s a great example.
Sade Battle started out as one of Amway Center’s first elevator operators.
She leveraged that first quality job as step toward a larger career in the events industry.
And, today she’s the Marketing Director at one of our venues’ largest vendors.
Sade’s success story is one of the thousands that have taken place as our venues have become a catalyst for both major events and major community impact.
Our third area of focus as we reimagine DTO as a neighborhood for everyone is a Downtown that continues to diversify and strengthen our economy.
While Downtowns are moving away from that singular-center-of-employment model it doesn’t mean our urban core is any less important as an economic engine.
It’s just the way that engine functions are evolving.
Take, for example, one of Central Florida’s largest publicly-traded companies, Travel & Leisure.
We’re working with them to explore moving their 900-person headquarters to Downtown.
Travel & Leisure has embraced innovation in a post-pandemic environment.
That means a hybrid office model that allows staff to work remotely two days a week combined with a desire to have a physical office location that offers more amenities when workers are present in-person.
That mix of quality space quality amenities and quality of life is why Downtown Orlando appeals to them as well as other major employers.
This dynamic is also a big reason Orlando was recently named the top City in America for remote workers.
In an increasingly work-from-anywhere-world we want our Downtown to be the premier magnet for talent.
In an increasingly start-a-business-from-anywhere-world we want our Downtown to be the premier magnet for innovators and entrepreneurs.
We’re ahead of the curve thanks to the investment our City made and the extraordinary partners who have brought our Creative Village to life.
Over the last few years, our emerging innovation district has made huge strides with the establishment of the UCF and Valencia Campus, the launch of EA’s Orlando studio and a mix of housing options that allow people to live, work, learn and play in this tech-focused neighborhood.
Creative Village has also become a testbed for innovation, including the new self-driving Swan Shuttle, in partnership with Lynx and Beep, that launched this summer.
We took another big step when we announced our intention to position Orlando and our Creative Village as America’s premier Metaverse innovation hub.
To continue our momentum, we’re hosting MetaCenter Global Week next month, bringing thousands of the world’s top innovators and entrepreneurs here.
We must constantly be focused on what’s next and what’s needed for our Downtown to own the future.
So, what can help Creative Village take the next big leap?
The answer is a physical focal point.
So much of the technology economy is virtual.
Here in Orlando, we know perhaps better than anyone that the ability to connect in-person has a special kind of power.
We know that collaboration and partnerships happen in person.
We know that’s how ideas are exchanged and relationships are built.
We know that’s how mentors are found, and talent is often discovered.
While so much can be accomplished on our screens there’s a special kind of power that only comes from in-person connectivity.
So, Creative Village needs a place to foster that kind of in-person connectivity.
That’s precisely what we’re going to create by reimagining the outdated and under-used Bob Carr Theater.
We’re going to give this this historic building new life by transforming it into an iconic physical “town square” for Orlando’s digital economy.
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So, what else is essential to Downtown Orlando as a neighborhood for all?
Three words: opportunity for all.
Our Creative Village and our entire Downtown must be an opportunity creator for our entire region.
We must remember that opportunity and success looks different for different people.
For some opportunity is that traditional K-12 education then on to college to a job in a cutting-edge field perhaps in the Creative Village.
For others it’s about access to a ladder of opportunity to the middle class and beyond.
Perhaps it’s taking advantage of Valencia College’s accelerated training program to find a quality career that doesn’t require a four-year degree housing that’s affordable and a great neighborhood in which to live and raise a family.
If we want to see what opportunity for all looks like meet Quaya Moore.
Quaya grew up in Parramore and was an early participant in the Parramore Kidz Zone.
PKZ gave him mentoring and enrichment – and the motivation to graduate high school.
PKZ also connected him with a job at Bill Frederick Park where he explored his passion for driving and engines.
He used the valuable experience he’d gained and turned it into a career in the emerging logistics industry.
Today, Quaya and his wife who also works with youth in one of our neighborhood centers live in Parramore Oaks with their three children.
He’s quick to tell everyone how proud he is of being able to raise his family in the neighborhood he grew up in living out his American Dream.
We started by talking about what we need to do, collectively, in order to “skate to where the puck is going” – and to be a City that leads.
This is an easy thing to say.
But, to do it we need the continued partnership and collaboration of all of you and everyone who’s passionate about our City and our Downtown.
I want to challenge everyone to be part of our team.
Are you with us?
And speaking of team players
We’d like to thank Jill Vaughn and the Downtown Orlando Partnership and its board for organizing State of Downtown every year and for the work they do as champions for DTO.
Would you all please stand and let us say thanks.
We’d also like to recognize our City Commissioners – who understand that Downtown impacts all of their districts and constituents.
No Mayor anywhere has better partners than our City Commissioners:
District 1 Jim Gray.
District 2 Tony Ortiz.
District 3 Robert Stuart.
District 4 Patty Sheehan.
District 5 Regina Hill.
District 6 Bakari Burns.
I’d also like to thank my wife, Susie, for her enduring love and support.
We want to thank Mayor Demings for being with us today.
If there are any other elected officials please stand and let us recognize and thank you for your service.
And, of course, please join me in recognizing all our City employees for their service and dedication to our residents every day.
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If we could have everyone’s attention for a final, important thought.
As we often do, we highlighted some personal stories to help define our work and priorities.
We want to close with one more story.
For the better part of the last 20 years our friend Thomas Chatmon poured everything he had into Downtown Orlando.
For Thomas serving as the director of the Downtown Development Board was more than just a career choice it was a passion that was only surpassed by the love he had for his family
I think we all feel the void today without the presence of our partner and friend.
How about instead of a moment of silence we have a moment of celebration.
And, how about we do it in Thomas’ special style.
If Thomas were here he would likely say DTO Nation are you out there!
DTO Nation are you with me!
Thomas approached his career and the illness that ultimately took his life far too soon with boldness and bravery.
Let’s honor his memory by being bold and brave as we approach what’s next for Downtown.
The days of our Downtown as just a Central Business District are over.
The rise of our Downtown as a true neighborhood for everyone is here.
If we work together we know that Downtown Orlando is ready to be that neighborhood.
Thank you everyone.
God bless America.
God bless Orlando.
And, God bless Downtown Orlando!
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