State of Downtown Speeches

2025 State of Downtown

Paul Drayton:

On behalf of the Downtown Orlando Partnership, welcome to the 2025 State of Downtown.

Jill Vaughan:

Downtown Orlando has so many things to celebrate. It's the heart of our city where innovation, culture, community all come together.

Paul Drayton:

We are a hub for arts and entertainment. From world class performances and vibrant public art to festivals that bring people together, creativity is part of our DNA.

Jill Vaughan:

We are a destination for sports and major events that draw visitors from across the country and around the world.

Paul Drayton:

We are a center for education opportunity where students, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders shape the future.

Jill Vaughan:

We are the place where residents and visitors can enjoy local restaurants, discover new experiences, and feel connected to the culture and the spirit of Orlando.

Paul Drayton:

For over 64 years, the Downtown Orlando Partnership has united leaders, inspired collaboration, and worked to build an inclusive city center. That commitment is strengthened today through our partnership with the City of Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer, and the downtown Development Board.

Jill Vaughan:

Together, we are creating a downtown that is welcoming and full of momentum.

Paul Drayton:

And today we celebrate our accomplishments, recognize our shared progress, and look ahead to the opportunities for a bright and exciting future.

Jill Vaughan:

And we would like to take a moment to recognize and thank the City of Orlando commissioners who are here today and who have helped shaped the downtown vision. If you could hold your applause till the end. District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray, District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz, District 3 Commissioner Robert Stewart, District 4, Commissioner Patty Sheen, District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose, and District 6 Commissioner Bari Burns. Can you see?

Paul Drayton:

Sorry you guys were a little tight down there.

Jill Vaughan:

And of course, a huge thank you to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and his family. Susie Trey and Hannah Dyer are here with us today. Can you please stand also to be recognized?

Paul Drayton:

We also would like to recognize the elected officials in attendance today. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, and District 1 City of Orlando Commissioner-elect Tom King. And any other elected officials, please stand to be recognized if we miss you.

Jill Vaughan:

A heartfelt thank you to Paul Drayton. So, thank you so much our 2025 board chair and to all the DOP board of directors and our chairman circle and downtown champions and all of our investors. We greatly appreciate you.

Paul Drayton:

The 2025 state of downtown would not be possible without the support of our incredible sponsors. Thank you to our event sponsors. Advent Health, AT&T, City of Orlando, Dean Meade, Downtown Development Board, Greater Orlando Sports Commission, Greenberg TR, Orlando Credit Union, Orlando Health, Orlando Magic, UCF Downtown, and Valencia College.

Jill Vaughan:

And we'd also like to we would also like to thank our reserve corporate seating sponsors, Baker Bario Architects, Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, Disney, Dr. Phillips Center, Espaces, JP Morgan Chase, Kimley Horn Lounge, Orlando Economic Partnership, Scansa, TLC

Engineering Solutions, Travel and Leisure, Turner Construction, Vera Mobility, and Visit Orlando.

Paul Drayton:

And a special thank you to our presenting sponsor, OUC, the reliable one. Your partnership and leadership help the city beautiful. Let's take a look.

Jill Vaughan:

And before I introduce President Mills, I did skip Creative City Project. So, thank you for being one of our reserve seating sponsors. So, thank you. Um, and it is now my pleasure to introduce President Larry Mills. He is the president of the Orlando Commission, Orlando Utilities Commission. and thank you for joining us today at the 2025 state of downtown presented by OU the reliable one. Thank you, Mr. Mills.

Larry Mills:

Thank you so much. Good afternoon everyone. There's only four people in here. Good afternoon everyone. Oh, that sounds a little better. Okay. Hey, I want to thank Jill and Paul so much uh for that intro. It's hard not to feel inspired by the momentum that we're seeing across downtown Orlando city and county. There's real momentum behind the growth of Orlando and as president of the board of commissioners of OUC and our chief executive is here Clint as well OUC is proud to be powering a stronger and even more innovative future for the city, the county, and the surrounding area. So, I'd like to begin by saying thank you to the downtown Orlando partnership for bringing us together and to Mayor Dyer and our city uh commissioners for their leadership and to each of you who are here today for helping shape what's next for our city

because the future is yet to be seen as to all that we have from when we look at our city and the things that are going on around How fitting that our event is here at

the KIA Center. Many of you may not know this is a venue that offsets 100% of its power with solar energy from community solar farms in our new OUC Sun Choice

program. This is the kind of smart sustainable progress and commitment keyword that will define the next chapter of downtown Orlando. From the

heart of this district, home to world class venues, thriving businesses, and unforgettable events, OUC is proud to power Central Florida skyline and the

places that define our city's spirit and character.

But then from the skyline to underground, we're also investing in infrastructure to build a better Orlando. As just one of many examples throughout the region, let me site OUC and the city of Orlando are partnering together in what is known as the Summerland Avenue improvement project. This is something that we're doing by replacing nearly 7,000 ft of water mane to modernize Orlando's potable water system and ensure clean, reliable water for generations to come. And let me parenthetically inject. I got a big smile when I was introduced to a gentleman out in the hall just now and they said Mills is president of OUC and his comment was all I remember is the reliable one. I thought, "Okay, Clint, it's working." But as we are still here, we're keeping buildings cool and comfortable in a reliable way, in an innovative way, such as our echofriendly chilled water service. OUC district cooling, we call it, which delivers energy efficient uh AC to landmarks like the Dr. Phillips Center, City Hall, and right here at the Kia Center. And we're making it easier than ever to drive electric in Orlando by investing in EV charging hubs across the region. Why? Just a few blocks away, our 21 port Robinson Recharge mobility hub has powered more than 40,000 EV charging stations and it just opened in 2023. exactly being used by city, local, and visitors as well. So, at OUC, we're we're proud to power progress. We're proud to spark possibility. We're proud because when purpose and innovation connect, there's truly no limit to what downtown Orlando can become. So, thank you for allowing me these few moments to welcome you and to introduce our program. And now it gives me great pleasure uh to be with you today in a seating capacity and to introduce David Barilla, executive director, Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelop Agency. David, it's on you.

David Barilla:

All right, so Jill was telling me it was bright up here, but I don't think I appreciated it till just now. Good afternoon, DTO. Afternoon. Y'all know me better than that. Get with me. Come on. Good afternoon, DTO. There we go. There we go. All right. So, you know, to start, I just want to say thank you. Jill mentioned it, but all our elected officials out there, our our our commissioners, our county representatives, everyone's here. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for being here. None of this would be possible without you. to Jill at the Downtown Orlando Partnership and Paul for doing so many great things uh for downtown and being our partners. Uh we just truly appreciate all the work that goes into not just today but everything they do all year long. Uh but let's talk about today for a bit. Can we do that? So today today's a little bit different. At least it is for me. So today is not about all the big sparkly moments. It's not about the context of just the friendly faces you see around you. It's about taking a moment to reflect and see how far we've come, how far we've come together. So, as we gather, I want us to think about this past year just for a moment because it's been great. We added thousands of new employees with companies like Travel and Leisure and ECS Florida. You all want to talk about restaurants. I do too. We added those, too. Acropolis, the outpost, right? Alakart at Art Squared. You saw it on the screen. If you haven't been there yet, you got to go check it out. It's absolutely delicious. You have options. New sports teams like the Orlando Storm. New events like the Front Yard Festival at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center this week downtown for the holidays. Don't miss it. I heard I heard something out there. It was probably there. My guess is it's our Dr. Phillips team. I don't know. I can't see you, but but that's my guess. Uh so, you know, you look at all that. It's dozens of new businesses. It's hundreds of new employees. And that, my friends, is just the beginning. But today, today is a chance just to press pause. Let's press pause, right? Let's take a step back from the everyday distractions that can come in and out of all of our lives and focus on the future we're building together. So, do me a favor. You know, I always ask you all to do something. This this year is easy. Are you ready? Close your eyes for just a second. Just close them. And I want you to picture yourself looking through the fog into DTO's future like a captain pairing through a periscope to find that transformational destination just over the horizon. Because true transformation, it doesn't happen by accident. It takes leadership. Right? And true leadership doesn't just set a course and step aside. True leadership is steadfast. True leadership is collaborative. True leadership is bold. Bold enough not just to change today, but to transform tomorrow. For two decades, that has been the story of DTO. We've had a leader who has empowered us to dream and then charted the course to deliver. A leader who looked through that periscope years ago and saw saw not only incremental progress but generational change. A leader who has guided us through calm waters and stormy seas, unwavering, unshakable, unstoppable, pausing only to celebrate the big wins and then leading us right back to our posts for what's next. So, I know y'all know who I'm talking about. But before I introduce it, let me ask you one question. What did you see when you looked through that DTO periscope? Maybe you saw a DTO with cultural vibrancy. Maybe you saw a DTO with economic prosperity. Maybe you saw a DTO with the social cohesion that we all long for. But what did he see? He saw all that. and he saw a DTO that will stand shoulder to shoulder with the great cities of our time. London, Tokyo, New York. Remember those. So now's the moment. Join me in a grand DTO welcome for the great best mayor in America today. The admiral of the DTO fleet, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Mayor Dyer:

Wow, that was quite an intro. I'm glad Susie was here to hear that. I would hate to have to describe it to her. I feel like I should have done a cartwheel as I came across. But good afternoon, downtown Orlando. So when I was walking out, other than being overwhelmed by that great introduction and uh Pastor Mills um sermon that he gave on OUC, I was reflecting on um the fact that this building is 15 years oldand the first event we held in this building. Does anybody know what the first event we held in this building was? That must have been a city employee. State of downtown 15 years ago. We cut the ribbon outside on October 1st and um then cut the ribbon on this building. And since I'm the mayor, I get to uh stray from my prepared remarks. So, I'm going to talk about the building and what it's meant to us. Um over the course of of 15 years, um Allan Johnson and his whole staff, his whole team do an incredible job. And we have had um over 3,000 events in the Amway Kia Center since it opened. So that's uh Allan, 250 or so a year and 2 million visitors, patrons last year. I'll take some applause for that. That's pretty good. Um, Dr. Mills talked about how sustainable and what we've done in the green areas, but I just want to talk about So, last night, was anybody at the Magic game here last night? So, the building looked quite a bit different about 12 hours ago, and they have another Magic game tomorrow night. So, the the ends that the staff goes through to transform this building. Oh, and by the way, the reason it's so dogone cold in here is there is ice under the floor. So, they have to change out a hard court and ice and um all types of things to transform this building. And they do a tremendous job. So, let's give Allen and his entire teama great hand. So, back to the scripted part. Um the day that we had the first state of the city uh state of the downtown here that this building in that opening day represented the reality of what can happen when you do have a bold vision coupled with strategic investments and then you leverage partnerships and the results are catalytic projects as you've seen with the three venues camping world stadium Dr. Philip Center and this Kia Center. And as we stand here 15 years later, downtowns not just here in Orlando, but across the country and across the world are experiencing an era of reinvention. Since the pandemic escalated, a lot of long-term trends like remote work. I know in all of your businesses, you probably don't have the same staff that comes into your office every day that you had five years ago. but also the desired for mixed use development has forced cities to rethink the roles of their downtowns. Here is the good news. Here in Orlando, we've been planning for just that. And that's precisely what is happening around us right now. Prior to the pandemic, through partnerships and strategic planning of the venues and Creative Village and Project DTO, we've been building a vision together for a downtown that offers something for everyone. Last year at this event, we talked about uh the DTO action plan and two of the big ideas from that plan are downtown as a park and downtown Orlando is for everyone. And in pursuing those big ideas, we are focusing on four essential elements. First, there's arts and culture, which is absolutely critical to any downtown. Second, food. Third, business, education, and job creation. and fourth, places like this where people come together. So rather than just talk about these elements and why they're important in the abstract, we're going to do something a little bit different than we've done at any of the state of the downtowns in the past. So you've noticed that you there are one, two, three, six chairs out here. Why do you think that is? We're gonna have people fill those chairs uh to talk about those elements who are living those elements every day in our downtown. And we want to have a conversation about why those elements are so important as we move forward. And we want to talk about those elements and how they must connect with complement and energize one another. So we want to bring together a very dynamic group that I think you'll be very pleased with to have a frank conversation about our opportunities but also our challenges. So we brought some familiar faces and we brought some newer friends to fuel the discussion. So first we all know Craig Ustler whose vision has helped shape the last quarter century in DTO from Thornton Park to create a village. And any of you that want to do the cartwheel on the way out, that is fine as well. Okay. Orlando has truly become a foodie town, right? So, if you've had a great meal downtown, chances are you spent time in one of Jason Chin's restaurants. I've already mentioned that a great downtown must have a great arts and cultural scene. And Jennifer Evans is with us today to talk about tapping into the arts to drive a downtown transformation. And we also have a special guest who most of us don't know yet. Richard Perez with Midtown Development is responsible for developing some of the most iconic innovative places where people come together in cities around the world. David kind of led into that with Tokyo and New York and the things he was talking about in the intro and they are redeveloping the property on North Orange Avenue that used to be the home of the Orlando Sentinel. and help tie this all together. We're fortunate to have Sheena Fowler with Innovate Orlando to serve as our moderator and the face of the changing nature of the business in our downtown. All right, Sheena, are you ready?

Sheena Fowler:

I'm ready.

Mayor Dyer:

All right, let's do it.

Sheena Fowler:

Here we go. Okay, friends, here we are. David, you were not wrong. It is bright. It is bright. I like it. Okay. So, placemaking is the cornerstone of economic development, right? It is what sparks economies. It's what brings everything together. When we bring the layers of entertainment, of tastes, of feel, of sounds, of business and economic development, we start to drive new jobs. We have people that want to experiment in our cities. We have people that want to build new buildings in our cities. And today, we're going to do this. We're going to talk about all the different layers that it makes to have extraordinary placemaking and we're going to talk about the realities. We're going to talk about the momentum and what we're expecting next. Here on this stage is Mayor Dyer so graciously introduced everyone. We're seeing different places, different people and different perspectives of how you place-make a downtown, how you make an extraordinary economy that sparks new ideas that changes the world. So, let's get into it. Craig, let's start with you. You've been doing this for over 25 years in downtown Orlando. You've had investments like Thornton Park, North Quarter, and Creative Village. These were not quick flips. Talk about the parallels between what you saw 25 years ago and where we are today in order to bring downtown to life.

Craig Ustler:

Well, I have a fundamental belief in the in the power of downtown. Um, Mayor Dyer ran on this when he ran for mayor. And I think we intuitively at that time understood that if you don't have a strong downtown, you don't have a strong region. There's really not a great city in the world that isn't defined by the quality of its downtown. So, to me, that's always been obvious and and maybe not obvious to a town that's maybe as new as Orlando or a suburban base, but I I sort of took that as my benchmark. And then I see a lot of similarities. The market goes through cycles. Um, opportunity presents itself in different ways. uh Rick and I would tell you the real estate market, you know, you're still ultimately uh you know, you're beholden to how that goes. So there's a lot of similarities that to to the early 2000 and we entered into a really nice period of development there and then we sort of had the great recession, another nice boom, then we had COVID and sort of the correction we're in now. So I I just see us emerging kind of from the thaw that we've been in. Um but I would say we've just made a ton of progress. The the the building blocks that Mayor Dyer described are there now. It's really just more about layering. you keep using that word, but that's the right word. It's just layering on um the elements that make a place really great, which is sometimes the buildings, but more often the other things. It's arts and food and everything that sort of goes with the buildings. So, I look at it now as as probably a bit more of a complex puzzle, but uh but I'm I'm as bullish as I've ever been. I I I believe in downtown Orlando's got a ton of upside. I mean, we're really just scratching the surface on what we could become. And so, um, and the great news is the repositioning of downtown that that Mayor Dyer talked about for downtowns. It's actually pretty easy. I mean, it's live, learn, work, play. Office tenants, retail folks, restaurant folks, residences, workers, students, they all want the same thing and they want interesting walkable mixeduse places that are really a great place to hang out. You know, you hear the term central activity district now instead of central business district. So, I believe that we're on the right track and um, and we're excited.

Sheena Fowler:

You know, as as somebody who worked side by side with you over the last many many years recruiting companies to come here, we we often work together on that. One of the number one things that I got that I was surprised by was what's the food, right? For sure. Executives always want to know about the food. Jason, I turn to you. Last year, you and your wife Sue became the city's first James Beard finalist for outstanding restaurant tour. That's a big deal. That is a nationwide honor and you are the first in our community to do it. You've opened three restaurants in downtown. Reyes, the Monroe, Sparrow, with a fourth on the way, Auststeria Esther. Did I get it?

Jason Chin:

Yes

Sheena Fowler:

Okay. Excellent. And it's opening to family and friends this week. So, you to have seen these evolutions and ups and downs of downtown Orlando. What makes you believe to continue to open so many restaurants here?

Jason Chin:

Well, um first of all, thank you for uh recognizing um the importance that food has in um attracting uh people and talent. Um I I guess it's when we kind of started to grow um and expand at at a decent pace and uh people kind of caught on to what what we were about in um creating new unique and distinct um restaurants doing something different with every opening that came the exciting questions of what's next what you know what are you doing next and I would often uh answer that question with a question of well what do you think should be next, what should we do? What do you think Orlando needs? Um, and through that, it was pretty evident uh by how varied and how broad those responses were that uh really the short answer is we just need more. We need and not just in sheer number per capita, but we needed more and we need more variety. We we need more diversity and we need really what I was hearing was we need iconic restaurants that kind of defined the area that if say someone lived here for a time and then moved somewhere else that there it would be that restaurant that would remind them of home. So that really encouraged Sue and I to keep going with it and it really helped to kind of further crystallize the mission of we have at Good Salt Restaurant Group is to create district and neighborhood defining restaurants to stand for generations and to kind of really be that kind of center of placemaking.

Sheena Fowler:

Well, it's amazing because you not only deliver extraordinary food, you deliver amazing spaces, right? So they're they're iconic in the way that the way that you feel the atmosphere, right? And so I turn to you Jennifer. Atmosphere and culture is such an extraordinary part of placemaking and and you as the leader of United Arts have had such an impressive run with downtown DTO in creating these programs where we now have consistent music, right? Where you layered on top of the buildings that were being constructed and the the new restaurants that were coming in, you added this other layer. tell us about what that means to a community and how it changes things.

Jennifer Evans:

Absolutely. Well, thank you. And it it when you look at the master plan for years, it's talked about excellence every day and and it's wonderful that we have these these moments that we pause and celebrate as a community. But if you're arriving to Orlando on a Tuesday looking for a building or an office space and it's there's not a festival going on, it's a surprise, right? When you hear music happening. So, um along with the city creative city project, the downtown arts district and united arts started this program about a year and a half ago to really activate and create a sense of excellence every day in our downtown. And this was these are free music performances and we pay artists and that's part of this whole whole dynamic is that we need people to be able to thrive here and make a living. And so, this program is not only about activating our public spaces in downtown, keeping a vibrancy at lunchtime and in the social hours on Thursdays and on weekends. It's really about making sure that artists can make a living here, too. So, it creates a sense of security and safety downtown so that people um feel feel comfortable, but also a sense of belonging. They hear their culture, they hear their drum beat, they hear all these different diverse music playing. And so, it's really exciting to watch not artists respond to the experience of being heard and celebrated, but also for people to feel a sense of belonging and safe.

Sheena Fowler:

I love that you added in the element of the artists are getting paid, right? That this is this is a sustainable element for our community, right? And and having served as film commissioner in Orlando, I was privy to meet so many of our extraordinary artists that are here. And that's the number one thing I try to remind people. These we have such a high population of creatives in our community. It's fantastic to now have this soundtrack as we do walking meetings downtown and you think aboutwhy you go into the office. You want experiences that you're not going to get at home. And I thank you so much for for putting that together. Rick, as someone who has developed around the world, you look at infrastructure, you look economies, you make big decisions on where you're going to invest. Tell us about what you saw about downtown Orlando, what you've heard today about what Craig and Jason and Jennifer have built and why you made the the decision to invest in downtown Orlando.

Richard Perez:

Well, first of all, thank you for for having us here. We're we're overjoyed. Um, this has been a a bit of a process. Uh, that started with David Burrilla insisting that we take a look at downtown Orlando again and really move forward with the development of the Sentinel site. And as everybody got a taste of, you all know him, but that intro is the reason uh we were so motivated to be here. But the there are five reasons why we we've made the decision that we're going to move forward with the redevelopment of the Sentinel site. Um the first is visionary, professional, stable government in the city of Orlando. you often get or sometimes you get visionary government, sometimes you get stable government, but to have both visionary and stability, vision and stability is something that is a rarity around the United States uh and around the world frankly. Um and have that combination here is such an important factor. The second is having that that staff and that government and a DTO plan that perfectly aligns and you have a very clear picture of where you have a and a vision of downtown that is clearly articulated. It is a program that everybody can understand and everybody's getting behind. That is a motivating factor. The third is in and this is an essential ingredient agreement is a community that in our in our visits here is incredibly engaged. A community that has and you could see it through the DTO play. You could see it through the government a real sense of a of a shared vision of a very bright future. Right. The fourth is an economic and a demographic growth that should be the envy of the world. that is the envy of the world. Uh it's an unbelievably dynamic both in terms of the dem the the demographic growth and the economic growth. And fifth is a 20 acre or so piece of land in the middle of your downtown that doesn't that is right for redevelopment and doesn't have any of the negatives of redevelopment, which is no need to move out businesses or people. and that we can use it as a blueprint to carry on that vision, that stability, and that plan. And um you know, and and so when David laid that all out for us and we had the pleasure of meeting the mayor and the commissioners, uh the choice of of relooking and and re-engaging in the development of this site became frankly a no-brainer.

Sheena Fowler:

That's amazing. We and I think that's something we've heard from everyone here is that the all the are here, right? Everything was here that it became such an obvious decision to continue to move forward. And and as we look at the momentum that we've talked about, let's let's take a turn and let's have a an honest moment, right? That we can have a reality check where there are some things in downtown that still need to be worked on. We have the perception of safety. We have some some renovations that are going to be happening. We'll have some disruption with transportation. But this is the moment where downtowns either fracture or strengthen. And I think we can have a conversation about how we start to lean into that and how we do it together. So, Mayor Dyer, your plans over the last 20 years have been ambitious from significant infrastructure projects like new housing, Sunreil, Kia Center, Creative Village, and Dr. Phillips Center. But you have equally ambitious plans to transform downtown Orlando. These improvements required some temporary pain for some long-term gain. So let us understand what do you see about why this is the right time to be doing this and how we move forward.

Mayor Dyer:

Gina, I thought I was supposed to get a question in the first segment, not okay. Let's switch to the reality check, but um actually those are the questions I get to feel. Um, you know, during the state of the city address, we noted that the city was 150 years old, and we talked about different eras where the leadership of the city had to make difficult decisions about moving forward and investing in the community so you could reach to the future. And we have had stability here, not just for 20 years, but we've only had five mayors in the last 70 years. So, we've had some great leadership before I ever got here. I think of Mayor Frederick and for those of you who are old enough to be here when he was mayor, he had a really big decision to make and he decided that they needed to re plumb the entire downtown area. They had infrastructure that had been there probably for a hundred years or more. So they totally tore up Orange Avenue and associated streets and redid all the sanitary sewer, the um water, the uh other utilities. And I know there had to have been some pain for all of the businesses in the downtown during that era. But it was needed so that you could reach for the future. And now we have the DTO action plan which is going to we're going to two-way streets. We're going to improve sidewalks. We're going to increase the green space. We're going to make mobility easier. Um we're going to really take a look at our transit um that has around been around in ver basically the same way since the 70s and improve that for the future. So um you ask is the timing right? The timing is absolutely right and it's always the right time to invest in the future in our futures and our future is now.

Sheena Fowler:

It's amazing to see the fact that you've been able to do both right. we've been able to build and make sure we're adding in all of the layers of character so that we have that balance and and I think that's something that Jennifer and Jason you've seen over the years and and not just in Orlando but in other communities too that as you go through these changes as you go through these adaptations you have to have the elements of of culture and restaurants uh to be able to continue to carry through. So what are some of the elements of of how you see that that really carries communities through these moments of transition?

Jennifer Evans:

So the arts are early wins. Um they are whether it's it's adding public art or live music. It's a way to soften the experience especially when the hardscape is changing or slowing people down. And so thankfully our city and our private sector is investing in the arts and it it makes an impact whether you're you're having to walk further because of a construction on a on a sidewalk or traveling um on a road and you get to see an art a mural or you're hearing music from down the way and it pulls you that direction in a positive way. Um it can also from a health perspective the arts are proven to improve reduce stress. So, that also can help a lot. So, make sure to roll your windows down and listen to the music um either in your car or the live music. But that helps a lot. The arts really can reduce the stress in a downtown area um as well as as keep you positive. Yeah. And be short wins.

Sheena Fowler:

Jason.

Jason Chin:

Yeah. Um well, if you think about any downtown in its most elemental sense in terms of purpose, um it's a place It's meant for exchange on on many levels. Um exchange of ideas, economic exchange, um exchange of um social exchange and cultural exchange. And amidst all those, I'd say that the most fundamentally human, the most significant is um the exchange of cultures through food and the arts. And um the more that we allow that to happen, um there's more common ground that's found. uh there's more um understanding that we have of one another. And where there's more and more understanding, there is less room for fear. And uh it helps to kind of build bridges and to open doors to usher out any type of stagnation and usher in excitement and synergy and the sharing of dreams and the initiation of action to pursue those dreams. So with that, um really it's u it's I feel very fortunate and honored to be up here to to represent the hospitality um community and the and all the hard work that uh that not just us but like everybody in the industry is doing because uh if you've ever been in it, you know, you're not really in it to make to make riches. You're really in it for the love of the community. So, in that in that context, um really um I've kind of made it my own u personal mission and the mission of um of our team members in our downtown locations to really do their part in in helping to kind of have a bigger star so to speak in the in the narrative. You know, we speak about the per perception issue and um you know, I think a lot of times that's because people tend to adopt a truth that they might have extracted from a sensationalized news column or even worse doing a bit too deep of a dive in the comments section of an unfounded social media post, right? We've all done it. Um so really um you know there's um something that's really unique about Orlando and and our our hospitality scene. We've had friends come up and visit us from other um other cities like DC and Chicago and even as close as Tampa that all have the kind of a similar remark that like wow Orlando you guys your restaurant scene is very tight. You guys feel very like like there's a sense of camaraderie that they wish they had back home where they have more of a cutthroat kind of standoffish type of environment. And I think that, you know, when dwelling on on when considering that and why that is, it kind of dawned on me that that must be because a lot of us have a similar interest in that we're doing it to put Orlando on the map. And that phrase right there, it's it's it's heard a lot when if you go to any event where there's a few of us around, you'll probably hear put Orlando on the map. Put Orlando on the map. And I think that translates into kind of this dynamic we have as as the restaurant community where, you know, we might be considered competition to one another, but we never consider each other rivals because we're on the same team. So that to me is is a it's very encouraging. It feels like we're all positioned to to to to push forward in a big way to do it for for the home team, to do it for Orlando. And um so really, you know, going back to trying to control the narrative, we we're really hoping that as downtowners, we um we're able to kind of reach the ears and the hearts of of uh you know, of the purpose- driven, you know, movers in theindustry to really think of this period of transition like not as an existential threat, but as the incredible opportunity that it actually is.

Sheena Fowler:

Yeah. Well, it's an incredible opportunity to come and taste some of the extraordinary dishes that you put in front of us. So, thank you for continuing to do it because it it definitely draws us out, right? It is the reason that that we leave our homes is to gather and and to make sure that we have those spaces. So, so thank you.And and I I think a lot of us echo those feelings that you just shared is that especially when I first moved to Orlando, there was this element of collaboration, this element of yeah, we're going to compete and we're going to do what we need to do, but at the end of the day, we are rolling up our sleeves to put Orlando on the map to follow the vision that Mayor Dyer and his team have laid out that this isn't a community that is figuring out who we want to be, that we're young. That's such a glorious opportunity to be able to build a community and be part of building a culture. That's that's what we've been doing here. And I think Craig and Rick, you both have been through these types of disruptions. You've seen that you come out on the other side and it and when you look back, it's a bit of a blip, right? But in the moment, what are some of the a story that you could share where you saw these things pay off that the little bit of pain was worth the long-term value? Rick, you want to start?

Richard Perez:

Well, I think it really is about creating what motivates us every single day in our group, Midtown Development. We're our DNA as land owners and land investors that happen to develop, right?And so our our goal always is to create neighborhoods and communities and that the last piece of property in our assemblage is the most valuable piece of property not because time has passed or a cycle has happened but because it's a community or neighborhood people want to live in. Right? And that's our that's our goal. And one of the reasons why we've sort of not moved forward until now with regards to the site was we just didn't want to create another sort of cookie cutter kind of mixed use development. We wanted to create something special. And so when whenDavid and the city team came to us, one of the things that we said was we need to get the best person in the world in developing these types of communities interested in this. And if we can do that, we'll move forward. That's what excites us. And and we reached out to Heatherwick Studios in London and we said, "Will you partner with us on on this redevelopment?" and we uh we spent a lot of time with them and we are overjoyed that Heatherwick Studios agreed to the engagement and agreed to move it forward and and and for those of you who don't know Heatherwick Studios and um those are the same people that developed Little Island in New York.They are amazing thinkers in creating authentic spaces that people want to live in. And um and so putting all that together with the city government, the stability, the vision, and then encouraging and getting Heatherwick Studios to join us in this mission. Um you know, and we have along-term vision, right? We this is about this isn't going to happen overnight. this is going to be 20 years of development on this site if because we're going to do it right and we're going to do it um and we're going to create the type of community thatOrlando deserves. Um you know that's what sustains you over blips, right? Itis again that stability with vision and a long-term perspective on doing something great. And if you put those things together, um, success is, uh,never assured, but certainly moves you forward in in the right direction. So.

Sheena Fowler:

Craig.

Craig Ustler:

Um, I mean, I don't look at disruption or construction obviously as a bad thing. I mean, any developer would say that, but, um, but but I, but I really do mean it in a true sense. I mean, when we were first building Creative Village, nothing attracted more development like bringing other potential tenants um or capital partners or whatever. The way that Mayor Dyer and I did a talk inin the mid I was 2016 17, we were we jokingly said we led the country in cranes per capita because there was so much under construction downtown. um that actually so the inconvenience of the physical construction to me is more than offset by the momentum that it's building. You can just sort of see it with your eyes. Something like the Sentinel site being under construction or West Court or Creative Village phase 2 or whatever it is, I mean that creates a visual sort of identity that you want.So to me, the the good outweighs the bad. And um and it's also an example ofuh where social media has really really helped. Um, if you think about in any great city now, some of the most awesome restaurants you go to or art experiences are behind some door that you never would even know where they were except if you hadn't seen it on TikTok or found it on social media, whatever. And so, I just think it's some of it's the tools that the restaurant and the arts andwhatnot have to do. and Rick and I can figure out how to build things, you know, in a way where it can still work out. But it'll just be that it's theit's the act of of of doing something and get of getting underway with something that I think is going to be it's going to create a a momentum that's going to be valuable. So, I mean, is itdisruptive? Yeah. But I mean, that's that's what progress is. I mean, I I greatly prefer that to the alternative.

Sheena Fowler:

I agree. I agree. Well, speaking of momentum, here's the amazing thing. We know that these things are happening, but we have alignment, right? This is our Orlando. This is what we do. We bring things together. We have an optimism and alignment that brings everything together at the right moment. And every one of you have shown how you're not slowing down. You're finding these opportunities to bring more to our community to find opportunities to layer it together. And with this, I know we can dig in a little bit more about Rick's announcement. And Mayor Dyer, as your state of downtown, I would like to hand it over to you to talk a little bit more about Rick's big news.

Mayor Dyer:

Well, thank you, Sheena. So, we started out or I started out um my comments talking about the catalytic effect that the venues had. Um the venues along with um seeking the UCF medical school I think were really the start of where we learned partnership and collaboration and how to get things done because in both of those endeavors it took so many different people to form partnerships and collaboration from different aspects of our community. Um that led to Creative Village as another catalytic effect. um the to have the opportunity to redevelop 69 acres in your heart of downtown and we did have the benefit of it was all publicly owned. So we got to do to plan it. Imagine if that would have been right 10 different pieces of property we tried to assemble, we wouldn't have what w ehad today. But those are two cornerstone pieces of our community and I couldn't be more excited about what's going to happen on the Sentinel site. I truly believe that's going to be catalytic for our community as well. And again, there aren't many cities, Rick, where you could find 20 acres. Do you own 20 acres anywhere else in the heart of a downtown? Probably not. But to have that opportunity and to not just say, "Okay, let's put something up." But to really think about it and to bring in the very best architects in the world, um, you're going to be impressed. Let's learn about it. Let's roll the tape.

Thomas Heatherwick:

Hello, my name is Thomas Heatherwick and with my studio team, we've been doing projects all over the world over the last 30 years. Our passion has been to make pieces of cities, to make places where people come together. And we've had the chance to build a new museum inCape Town using a grain silo. to make a new island in New York that's a public park that brings people together to make the headquarters for Google in California to make new districts inTokyo which are all about nature and places for people to explore and in Shiana making big new areas where it's all about making a hyper physical place that can be engaging and connect people with each other and their emotions within places. So, we're very excited to be having the chance to work in downtownOrlando. This downtown area is surrounded by the very successful neighbors of these world famous parks and there are suburban main streets that are great for those areas. So there's really strong identities all around and then there in the middle that downtown is just ripe. It's ready to grow to make a destination with its own unique identity to make somewhere that will have the best of city living. So there are evening spots which bring people together, family spaces, dining places.It's about nature somewhere that brings people together in this hyper physical way in this time of the digital. The Orlando Sentinel site is an opportunity to create an amazing new district with a gathering space at its heart with thousands of new homes and dozens of new businesses to bring an urban density that unlocks new places to work, new places to play, and to relax and exercise. We're so used to places feeling like they're a version of somewhere else rather than being their own unique place. So the opportunity now that's so exciting is to be part of the wider revitalization of downtown. We're so excited to be working with the city on the future of downtown Orlando and this amazing opportunity that that exists for that center to thrive in the next phase ofOrlando's future.

Sheena Fowler:

Something we strategically did not allow anyone on the the panel to see the video and until this moment. So, it is exciting exciting for all of us to get to to tune in and see it live with you to day. Rick, wow, that is impressive. Tell us a little bit more about, you know, your philosophy around what you've already started to discover and and mayor, feel free to jump in here on on what you're doing here.

Richard Perez:

Why not Orlando, right? You have demographic shifts and economic shifts happening all overFlorida, all over the United States. You have billions of dollars getting invested into downtown Tampa, right, with uh with with the water street project. You have related Ross putting billions of dollars into downtown WestPalm Beach. You have billions of dollars being invested into downtown Miami. Why?It's because the younger generation and the older generation have come to the same conclusion. We want to live in communities that are communities that are connected and downtowns offer great transit, great parks, great community and cultural centers. All of those bones are there already in downtown Orlando. Why not downtown Orlando? We think this is the right moment, the right time, the right team, and we are just absolutely bullish about this project, about the future of Orlando and um and the future of all of the new friends that we've made um over the course of the last, youknow, year in terms of dialogue with with the city. We are um overjoyed that Thomas Heatherwick and his team have have see the vision, understand the vision and are and are are helping usmove that forward. And we're at the initial stages. There are still you know the the design is certainly not complete and we are uh you know working with Mayor Dyer, his team, the city commission to bring this vision to a reality.

Sheena Fowler:

Fantastic. Mayor Dyer, how's it been to work on this project so far?

Mayor Dyer:

Um, it it's awesome to have an opportunity. A lot of the times when you're working with developers, they come in with a fully baked plan and the city really is just reviewing it to make sure you make building codes and uh, land use requirements and things of that nature rather than feeling like you're a partner at the table and knowing just how important and strategic this parcel is. I don't think there's anybody that doesn't recognize you've got 20 acres.It's at Colonial and Orange Avenue. You're going to be the bookend to the Dr. Phillips Center. So, everything else in between those two areas is going to benefit. It's going to be like I think jet fuel um in terms of the economy and everything else around it. I think there's probably people out today trying to buy up the land that's on either side, east or west there. Um but I'm really excited about this investment.I'm I'm excited about West Court as well, which will be just north of here. So, you add in those two sites and we're only halfway done with Creative Village, right? So, it's not like that one's complete. There's just the upside of downtown Orlando. Um there's there's no imagination to stretching that.

Sheena Fowler:

Well, it's amazing, like you said, to to have the opportunity to partner. That really is something special, but it's so uniquely Orlando, right? Of course, that would be something that we get to do together. Jennifer, I'd love for you toto lay in your reaction to have this type of space. As as you heard, there's lots of green space and and space for people to to come together. What What's your reaction to this?

Jennifer Evans:

Well, it's ext it's extraordinary. First of all, it's it's we talked about excellence in placemaking and I live downtown. I walk downtown every day. I walk around Lake Eola. I walk home from the Magic Game and Inco. This city has so much positive energy and the great thing is is I've only been here for four and a half years, but when the building codes, the codes to make sure that we have a standard of excellence are critical to this success. And I've never built anything. So people who are building things maybe disagree, but when you drive into this city, there's a code that says we have to have an architectural element at the top of every building. And to me that is excellence because wherever you are standing or coming in from our city there is a creative design process that puts excellence first. And whether it's music on the streets or the built environment it's about excellence and what you've done and what you've done Craig and what you've done Jason and the mayor that you bring excellence and that's what we've got to stay focused on when it comes to placemaking.

Sheena Fowler:

So Jason, I know you are very close to opening your next restaurant, but does having this type of development in your community continue to fuel the fact thatyou keep these restaurants open and and fuel the inspiration for new ones on the horizon?

Jason Chin:

Oh yeah, 100%. I mean, really, if by the looks of it, it's going to be quite an attraction for people just to spend time and where there's movement in that regard, it's it's only upside from there. Um, so yeah, it's uh it from what I can see it looks to be a game changer.

Sheena Fowler:

Really excited. Fantastic. And and Craig having another development. We you know, as mayor mentioned, West Court and this how does this get you excited about everything that we're continuing to build with Creative Village?

Craig Ustler:

I mean, it's really it's really the evolution that you're looking for. One of the things that Mayor Dyer has talked about before is if you go to a lot of the great cities of the world, I think he made this comment when he was coming home from Boston one time. I mean, they're they're done for all intents and purposes. Rick and I can't go there and make as much of a difference, right, when it's 90 whatever percent built down. Orlando is still on this great sort of growth cycle. And the secret sauce is to get local independent developers like me, restauranteurs like Jason, that's typically the spark. Somebody like Rick's not going to go first first. He's going to wait and see the truly entrepreneurial people kind of happen in South Beach and everywhere else. And then you attract him and the architect, right? and and you end up sort of with the best of both worlds, right? You end up with sort of best-in-class development that could go anywhere and chooses Orlando and you pair that up with the people that are that are tried and true hometown folks that have been doing it for 10, 20, 30 years that mutually respect each other that are all pulling the boat in the same direction. I mean, that's kind of the magic that that you've seen happening some of the um if you look at at sort of the cities that we tend to emulate, a Nashville, a Denver, Austin,Texas, or whatever, that's that's really what's happened. It's sort of the best of both worlds come together and you don't lose your soul. You don't lose the personality that attracted Rick in the first place, but you layer onto it, especially at the quality he's talking about doing. Jennifer could not be moreright. It's about quality, not quantity in your downtown these days, right? I mean, and the fact that it's takes sometimes a little bit longer. Mayor Dyer has been great about this at Creative Village. It takes a little bit longer to get exactly what you want and get the quality that you want, but it's worth waiting for.

Sheena Fowler:

Yeah. And it's exciting as we we talk to businesses about where they want to locate and and having done that for so many years, they want to see that there's buildings. They want to see that there's more activity that that things are coming in and and mayor, we've done a lot of talking today about what's coming. You have been taking a lot of bets on downtown. I want to hear from you of of what you think we're going to be seeing in 27 and 28 based on all of the extraordinary bets that you've already made so far.

Mayor Dyer:

So I think that's what excites me the most quite honestly. I'll segue off of Craig a little bit. I always tell my fellow friend mayors at US conference mayors that I'm the happiest mayor in America and they're like, "Oh, how can you be the happiest mayor of America and I was during COVID?" I could say that. But every other day that I've woken up,I've been the happiest mayor in America because I live in a city where we're making our destiny making creating our future right now. And I was just thinking while Craig was saying that maybe we were pre-teens, right, when I came into office and now I feel like we're 10th graders or something like that in terms of the community. But we're a community where you can come into this community having never lived here and have an immediate impact and be part of our community because we're a welcoming community and we haven't made our future yet. We're preparing. We like to say we're a future ready city that we're adaptable, but every person in this audience today has the opportunity to help us shape this city, this downtown, and what it's going to be in the next how many ever years? You just asked me about three years, 10 years, or 20 years. And I couldn't be more excited. I if I'm only going to be mayor two more years, but I wouldn't want to be mayor anywhere else in America other than right here for the next decade because it is going to be an exciting time. And I think all over America, they're going to be talking about Orlando and not just for tourism. They're going to be talking about Orlando for what's happening in the downtown.

Sheena Fowler:

I couldn't agree more.Well, here's what I've been hearing from our friends on the stage today. That we had four elements, but they only work when they work together, right? When we layer the investment, we in we layer in the culture and the restaurants and the businesses then attract to that. It's extraordinary to see when we have extraordinary leadership, the community wants to follow and the community wants to build and add their piece with their expertise alongside of it. So now the question becomes what do all of you do? How do you add your excellence into this momentum? I think that's been a wonderful word that we heard over and over again today is excellence. We have excellence in food and culture and buildings and investments and strategy.And that strategy has led all of us to be here today. So, how do you add in it?How do you build more buildings? How do you create more jobs? How do you become future members of the downtown Orlando partnership to where we can bind together to make sure that we're delivering everything that we need for our community in downtown because we know that downtowns are not built with one plan, with one project, but it's a connected community. And that's what we heard today. We heard Mayor talk about the fact that it was working side by side with developers and how unique that was for our community. We heard Jennifer talk about listening to artists, what did they need? Listening to the developers understand what the communities want and Jason talked about his guests coming into the door and saying, "I'm going to develop and continue to grow and create more based on their feedback." That's that is a beautiful community that we've seen and we've seen different personalities come in and talk about our community from different angles. That is when a downtown becomes a place not that you just go and leave, but it becomes a place that you call home, a place that is yours, that you want to continue to invest in and grow in. I'd like to thank our panel today for joining us. I'd like to thank Mayor Dyer and his team for giving us the opportunity to have this candid conversation about our extraordinary downtown Orlando and everything that we're doing. Thank you for everything, all of your investments, all of your strategy, and I would like to welcome Jill back up to the stage.

Jill Vaughan:

Well, first of all, I love downtowns and I love our downtown. So, thank you. Thank you so much. And a special thanks on behalf of the downtown Orlando partnership, our board of directors and our trustees. Thank you to Mayor Dyer.Thank you for your vision. Thank you to the city of Orlando. Thank you to the downtown development board and David.And also I just really want to just once again express how much we appreciate your leadership and your collaboration. A huge thank you also again to our presenting sponsor OU the reliable one. Thank you to Commissioner Mills for giving um your remarks today. Um I'd also like to thank our event sponsors, Advent Health, AT&T, Dean Meade, the Greater Orlando Sports Commission,Greenberg Trigg, Orlando Credit Union, Orlando Health, Orlando Magic, and UCF Downtown and Valencia College, and all of our corporate seeding sponsors. You definitely help make this event possible, and I appreciate you. I also would love to extend gratitude today to our panelists. Thank you for sharing your insight, your vision, and yourcommitment to moving downtown Orlando forward. And three of these panelists are also DOP board members. So, thank you for that, too, as well. And as we celebrate today, we alsoencourage everyone to support our local nonprofit organi organizations today. Today is Giving Tuesday and they play an essential role in strengthening our downtown comm communityities. So, we would love for you to support ourdowntown nonprofits. Now, let's celebrate together. Join us for a cocktail reception in the GallagherLounge featuring local favorites, Black Rooster Takaria and Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream. And you should have all receiveda cocktail ticket on the way in, so we'll buy you each a drink. Um, please take a moment to visit our sponsorsalong the way. And also don't miss um discover downtown and check out theirtable because there is a beautiful new cookbook by Visit Orlando which is agreat taste of the city beautiful and on the cover is Good Salt West restaurantgroups. One of their executive chefs Wendy is on the cover of this beautiful cookbook. So check it out. If they dohappen to sell out they will have more at discover downtown. So definitely support that. But thank you again forbelieving in downtown Orlando. The best is yet to come. Thank you so much.

 

October 15, 2024
Kia Center
Watch the video

“Find Yourself Downtown”

Good afternoon!

It’s a great to be together in Downtown Orlando!

We’re only a few days removed from Hurricane Milton.

So, it’s more than appropriate that we thank OUC for being today’s title sponsor... and especially for the work they’ve done to bring power back across Central Florida.

We know many parts of our community are still recovering from the storm.

But, by and large... Orlando was spared from the worst effects of this devastating hurricane.

Other communities were not as fortunate.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is struggling in the aftermath of both Milton and Helene.

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Our theme today is “Find Yourself Downtown.”

In our opening video, we saw a diverse set of Central Floridians finding themselves Downtown for an equally diverse set of reasons...

A retired couple showing us how Downtown is a playground for seniors...

A family living in Parramore...

A recent college graduate... living and working in our urban core...

A family that lives outside of Orlando, making memories Downtown...

And, sports fans taking SunRail’s “train to the game” to cheer on our Shield Champions the Orlando Pride.

This is just a sample of the people who bring our Downtown to life every day.

Of course, “Finding Yourself” has a second, more profound meaning.

It means finding your purpose and passion.

It means being surprised... discovering the unexpected.

And, it means understanding what truly matters to us.

This deeper meaning of “Find Yourself Downtown” is why we’re here today.

It’s why we continue to work together to reinvent, reimagine and reinvigorate our Downtown.

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Now... downtowns are never static, they’re always changing.

But, the rise of remote work accelerated that pace of change.

We’ve had to rethink our approach to everything from our office environment... to safety... to homelessness and housing... to our nightlife... to transportation.

The good news is... out of extraordinary challenges... came extraordinary resiliency.

I want to thank everyone here today... and everyone who believes as we do... in the absolute necessity of having a great Downtown!

What started as Project DTO 2.0... has become our “DTO Action Plan,” a shared road map to ensure our Downtown is a place where everyone can find themselves.

Today, we’re going to talk about the progress we’ve achieved in the early stages of bringing our plan to life.

We’ll also explore future phases of the plan... share some exciting images of what we’re building together... and show how our plan benefits everyone in our region.

 

Three “Big Ideas”

The core vision of our DTO Action Plan is that we’ll achieve transformational improvements by way of three “Big Ideas.”

First... Downtown Orlando is easy to get around in.

Second... Downtown Orlando is a park.

And, third... Downtown Orlando is for everyone.

Under each of these big ideas... are key activities that will drive our transformation.

Some are long-term, structural changes.

Others, are already taking shape right now.

 

Downtown Is Easy To Get Around In

We start with the big idea that Downtown is easy to get around in.

Orlando experienced its first true population boom in the 60’s and 70’s.

With that, came I-4 and a street network designed for that era.

But, the one-way Orange Avenue designed to quickly drive from Colonial to South Street 50 years ago... is the same Orange Avenue that today limits foot traffic and street-level business.

The identity and character of our urban core has become dominated by high-speed, through-traffic.

But, times change.

What people require from urban transit changes.

It’s long past time that we remake our streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, streetscapes, public transportation and other assets to better serve those who live in our community today.

It’s time we build a modern transit network that gives residents and businesses more opportunities to succeed.

That’s exactly what we’re going to do as part of our DTO Action Plan.

We’re going to give people a complete spectrum of ways to move about Downtown with ease, comfort and interest in what’s around them.

We’re going to establish a mobility network built around people-oriented streets for all the ways people use them.

Let’s be clear.

This is a big, long-term undertaking.

But, the results will help fuel a higher quality of life and create economic opportunity.

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The first step in our transit plan is unlocking the incredible potential of Magnolia Avenue.

Over the years, this prime stretch of road from South Street to the Courthouse has become a pass-through area with no identity and no soul.

We’re going to change that in a big way.

What’s known as “reverting” one-way streets back to 2-way has increased business and reduced crime in dozens of cities big and small.

We’ll start by doing the same on Magnolia.

Behind me on the screens, you’re getting the exclusive first look at what our new vision of Magnolia is... turning the now one-way street... into a two-way road with wide, walkable sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly amenities.

We’ll also invest in attracting restaurant and retail options.

We’ll infuse the area with artistic elements and small, unique park spaces.

The new Magnolia Avenue will be a destination where businesses want to be... and where residents and visitors want to spend their time and money.

It will be the place-making “spine” of Downtown Orlando.

It will be our version of Park Avenue or the Magnificent Mile.

Maybe we’ll have a naming contest.

Is “The Magic Mile” too obvious?

Mmmmm...

That’s why we hire professionals!

---

We’ll apply a similar approach to Orange Avenue from Colonial to South Street.

Orange Avenue is our economic hub.

Yet, the corridor has basically become a backdrop for cars that race down the street during the day... and a weekend nightlife destination.

These two conflicting identities have limited the potential for what could be so much more.

Orange Avenue should be the embodiment of the “18-hour City.”

It should be an area that teems with energy and diverse crowds from morning until night.

We can make that happen by taking what’s currently three lanes of southbound traffic... and creating one northbound lane, one southbound lane, and a center turn lane with large, distinctive medians.

We’ll also reconfigure the entire street layout to allow for more curbside uses such as parking, pick-up and drop-off zones, outdoor dining areas, and more gathering spaces.

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Modernizing our network of roads, sidewalks, and bike trails is critical.

But, we also must expand and modernize the transit modes our residents and visitors use.

A transit planner in the 70’s could not have imagined a rideshare app... or electric buses.

But, that’s our reality.

We must embrace the transit technology everyone uses.

That starts with expanding areas for rideshare pick-up and drop off throughout our Downtown.

And, it’s the reason behind our RIDE DTO program.

Ride DTO is our new, on-demand ride service that will take you anywhere you want to go within Downtown’s borders for one-dollar per ride.

Door-to-door... in an electric vehicle... for a buck.

We know there are times of the year like today when strolling four blocks is so pleasant.

We also know that other times can be like walking on the surface of the sun.

Ride DTO makes navigating downtown easier than ever.

We’re giving everyone here a chance to use it, too.

If you would turn your attention to the screens, you’ll see a big QR code.

You can use this to download the Ride DTO app.

When you do it right now... you’ll also get three free rides.

And, guess what... our new Ride DTO vehicles are outside if you want to check them out.

But, after I finish the speech.

 

Downtown Is A Park

Modernizing our transit infrastructure feeds into, and strengthens, our second big idea.

Downtown is a park.

Why are parks so important?

Because people don’t just love parks... they love their park.

Parks create a sense of ownership and investment in a place.

They’re magnetic... creating reasons for people to linger for a diverse range of activities.

Prioritizing urban park space is not a new concept.

But, the way we’re doing it is new.

If you look at most American cities... they’ve focused on having one large green space.

Now, we have an incredible signature park at Lake Eola.

But, we also want to add park space in smaller, highly-creative ways with the ultimate vision of Downtown Orlando as one great park composed of a network of distinct parks.

---

Central to this idea... is unlocking the potential of Lake Lucerne.

By show of hands.... how many of you pass by Lake Lucerne on a regular basis?

How many of you have thought about visiting it?

Of course you haven’t... because there’s not much to do.

Unless you want to admire the 408 up close.

Here’s the thing... Lake Lucerne is a sleeping giant.

It could be... and should be... so much more.

Lake Lucerne is a larger-than-life southern gateway into Downtown Orlando.

But, its significance has been forgotten as it serves as a backdrop for cars zipping along Orange Avenue.

We’re going to change that in a big way... and transform the lakefront into a leisure destination with jogging paths... an event lawn... shade structures... a boardwalk... and, of course, playgrounds.

It will be an iconic, people-focused gateway and a destination park.

---

A short distance away... we’ll apply a similar formula to create more park space in a super creative way.

We’re calling it “The Canopy,” the four and a half block “urban oasis” we’re going to build underneath I-4 beginning early next year.

A handful of the world’s great cities have used boring infrastructure to create iconic civic spaces.

Think of the High Line Park in New York.

These spaces are a magnet for residents and visitors because they’re authentic and special.

They’re places people love to post pictures of on social media.

Orlando joins that prestigious club with the Canopy... the transformation of the bottom of an interstate highway into a leisure destination that fuses nature and technology.

---

Right next to the Canopy is Church Street.

There’s a generation of Central Floridians who remember when Church Street was the place to gather... to celebrate... to make memories.

Who else has had a nickel beer at Rosie O’Grady’s on a Wednesday night?

As you see on the screens, we’re transforming what has become a pass-through-area with no identity... back into a true gathering place.

We’re going to turn this area into a festival street for all manner of events... and make it more appealing with large shade structures and easier access to the hospitality establishments there.

And, we’ll also activate the underutilized space next to the Church Street SunRail station.

---

Close by, the new Orange Avenue will be a prime example of how we’ll use flexible park space to create civic character with 30 South Orange.

30 South Orange will be a pocket park that’s cozy by day, offering spaces for workers to eat lunch – but transforms into a nighttime destination.

---

When it comes to parks... we have a beloved, iconic destination in Lake Eola.

But, we can’t rest on our laurels for what I believe is the best Downtown park in Florida!

That’s why we’ve invested in a master planning process to expand, modernize and upgrade the park over the next decade.

We’ve already acquired land to create a new southwest entrance to the park.

The early stages of that process will focus on upgrading the park’s basic infrastructure by modernizing its bathrooms and walking paths.

---

Parks have evolved into dynamic hubs for community engagement, activity, innovation and for residents looking for unique experiences and a sense of place.

Celebrating and shining a light on Parramore’s community luminaries is the heart of our Creative Village park – Luminary Green.  

New this year, we’re activating Luminary Green with a new monthly night market, a movie night and a weekly DTO Live performance. 

---

When we talk about the idea that all of Downtown is a park... we also believe every inch of Downtown should serve as an artistic canvas or a performance stage.

Quick question... anyone by chance see some unusually large, colorful birds recently?

The “Giant Pigeons of Downtown Orlando” from our friends at United Arts and Creative City Project certainly have people talking.

Okay, sure, some people loved them... some people hated them.

Here’s the thing... whatever your stance on giant pigeons... they showcased the power of art to be fun, unexpected, and had people “flocking” to downtown.

And, who would have imagined our pigeons would land us in Southern Living Magazine?

You don’t have to love art... to appreciate its value and how it adds unique character and soul to a place.

That’s why we’re working hard to provide opportunities to experience art and creativity every day and in every way.

Think about the Dr. Phillips Center, which celebrates 10 years since first opening their doors.

The Dr. Phillips Center has held more than 45-hundred performances with something for everyone.

There’s my favorite time of the year, when more than 80,000 school kids attend a performance in the Disney Theater or at Steinmetz Hall which serves as the home for our local arts groups.

And now, with Judson’s Live, the Dr. Phillips Center is a place for musical discovery, featuring renowned artists and local rising stars from a variety of genres.

One of my favorites is the new Nashville Nights.

---

Whether it’s a DTO Live musical performance over lunch... coming downtown to watch muralists paint live over the weekend... or peeking down an alleyway to see something beautiful and unexpected...we want Downtown to be filled with experiences that “Surprise and delight” as my good friend, the late Ford Kiene loved to say.

---

When we talk about the idea that Downtown is a park... we believe that definition also includes football fields... soccer pitches... basketball courts... or any venue for competition or events.

More than a decade ago, we boldly declared we were building a Downtown that could, and should, host any event in the world.

That dream... is reality.

Earlier this year, the Sports Business Journal ranked us as the number one city for attracting and hosting events.

The number one destination in the country!

I would like to thank our partners at GO Sports and Florida Citrus Sports for helping to make this a reality.

Key to this recognition is our ability to host multiple events at the same time.

This will be on display next month.

In one weekend, we will welcome nearly half a million people Downtown between our venues – including Orlando Magic, Orlando City, and Orlando Solar Bears regular season games... Justin Timberlake... the EDC Music Festival... and an Orlando Pride playoff game.

We’re also a true international destination for events.

We hosted the Olympic Marathon Trials earlier this year and just announced that we’ll once again host the Pro Bowl in February... the FIFA Club World Cup at Inter&Co and Camping World Stadium next summer... and NCAA men’s March Madness games at Kia Center in 2028.

Did you know... the Kia Center had its biggest year ever in 2024... with more than 250 events.

Maybe even more important was the diversity of these events.

From Bad Bunny... to high school graduations... to Monster Truck ... to Jelly Roll... there are reasons for everyone in our community to attend.

Not to be outdone... Camping World Stadium hosted more than a dozen major events this past year... from the Rolling Stones to international soccer matches and Pink later this year.

While these venues attract people from around the world, at the core they are here to serve our local community.

We witnessed this just last week, during Hurricane Milton.

Camping World Stadium served as a location for sandbag distribution, the fuel truck center for the State’s Emergency Management Department.

And, with two days’ notice we were able to host the USF football game because their home field was unusable. 

I am proud that we filled more than 30,000 sandbags in just a day and a half at Camping World Stadium.

The Weather Channel even commented that the City’s sandbag operation was the best they’d ever seen.

Who knew we’d get national recognition for a sandbag operation!

---

While we’re speaking of venues, I want to acknowledge that no one knows how important our venues are to our region more than Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

Mayor Demings and the Orange County commission have been tremendous partners in helping to create and strengthen our venues.

Mayor Demings is here today.

We want to thank him for his leadership and partnership when it comes to investing in our venues and our Downtown as a sports and entertainment destination.

 

Downtown Is For Everyone

That brings us to our third big idea.

Downtown is for everyone.

Everyone who calls Central Florida home.

Everyone who visits.

Everyone who works here... or operates a business here.

 

It’s important that we understand how our first two big ideas flow into... and strengthen... our third big idea.

When we modernize transit...

When we transform our urban core into a giant park and living canvas...

We are creating a Downtown for everyone.

Why does this matter?

Let’s think about it through the lens of Downtown’s function as an economic engine and employment hub.

For decades downtown economies revolved around the demand for office space.

In the blink of an eye, our urban economy has shifted to one now focused on a demand for non-conventional offices and residential buildings that offer a total lifestyle, not merely a workplace.

Developers and employers tell us discussions about floor plans and office space... have been replaced with conversations about dog parks... and where workers can go for exercise or happy hour.

Developers and employers are talking about... you guessed it... art, parks, and ride-share pick ups.

---

If we want to see what this evolution looks like in real time... it’s the Westcourt district that’s taking shape right across the street.

Westcourt is more than a development.

It's a destination that will bring new businesses and amenities to downtown including a Kimpton hotel, a residential tower, a dog park, an outdoor beer hall, a 12-story office tower, and ground floor retail spaces.

 Its developer says its public spaces will be, "programmed to foster important social connections.”

Westcourt will offer events throughout the day such as early morning yoga classes and movie nights that create a vibrant community.

A constant stream of activity for residents, workers and visitors... will complement major live entertainment and sporting events.

We’re proud to share with you that Live Nation will operate Westcourt’s 3,500-seat entertainment venue.

This is a big deal.

Live Nation, the leading live entertainment company, recognizes the energy and growth that is happening right here in downtown.

This venue will be an important anchor for the Sports and Entertainment district.

The venue will host a wide range of events including concerts, comedy, community events, corporate meetings, special events, and more.

Thanks to Live Nation, residents and visitors will be able to see today’s top touring artists right here in downtown Orlando.

Perhaps more important, Live Nation’s investment in DTO is a show of confidence and validation in the strength of our Downtown.

As we all know, investment brings more investment.

Attention creates more attention.

This venue further contributes to DTO’s brand as a diverse entertainment destination.

And, we believe this is another, important step in crafting DTO’s brand as a premier entertainment destination.

---

This evolving demand for total lifestyle as opposed to just office space is why we’re being aggressive in our effort to attract and grow ground floor businesses that activate our streets and provide amenities for everyone.

When it comes to downtown’s foodie scene, there is no denying it’s diverse and on the rise with new restaurants from German cuisine... to Bao... to Sushi Saint, which quickly earned a spot on the Michelin Guide's recommended list.

We’ve amended our incentive programs to attract the types of restaurants and retail businesses we know you want.

This includes Sparrow, the newest restaurant concept from Good Salt Restaurant Group that will open in the north quarter next year.

I’d like to recognize Jason and Sue Chin for their continued investment, which now includes a total of five restaurants with three downtown.

Susie and I can’t wait to try your new offerings because your restaurants like the Monroe and Reyes are some of our favorites.

---

Did you know the number of residents in Downtown Orlando has increased more than 60% in the past two decades.

As we continue to build a premier urban neighborhood, we want to make sure we have housing for everyone, at all ages and stages of life and at all income levels.

That’s why we’re working with our partners to add market-rate units for professionals at the Society and MAA Robinson.

That’s why we’ve worked to add and preserve affordable and attainable housing units at The Beacon at Creative Village and Kinneret senior tower.

And, that’s why we’ve created opportunities for those who want to pursue home ownership through the creation of 19 new single family homes in Parramore.  

---

Having a downtown for everyone... means we also care for everyone.

That includes those experiencing homelessness.

Through Accelerate Orlando, the City continues to leverage $58 million in federal ARPA funds to further our efforts to reduce homelessness.

It’s part of our shared initiative to reduce the number of unsheltered residents on our streets by 50-percent by 2027.

In addition to our existing HOPE Team and Downtown Ambassador Program, we created two new teams of experts to help our unsheltered population.

This includes a new City Unsheltered Response Team, which consists of the service providers and city departments working together to proactively address encampments through a services-first approach.

It also includes a new Orlando Police Department Homeless Intervention Unit of specially trained officers, assisted by mental health specialists.

The goal of this unit is to connect the unsheltered to services they need, but also address illegal activities such as illegal camping, aggressive panhandling, open container or drug use and those with existing warrants for arrest.

---

As we look ahead, one of our community’s greatest unmet needs is additional shelter space.

Our existing shelters are at capacity.

Sadly, many unsheltered residents have no alternative to sleeping on streets, in encampments or under bridges and in parks. 

That’s why we must continue to explore all options available to address the need for additional overnight shelter space and we call on our Central Florida partners to do the same.

No one community or city should be responsible for providing services for the entire region.  

---

When we talk about creating a Downtown for everyone, this isn’t a risky proposition.

We know this because we’ve done it before.

We know what success looks like.

Think about Parramore’s Creative Village.

Only a few years ago it was empty space... and today it’s a thriving, diverse and dynamic live-work-learn-play neighborhood that is a magnet for innovative companies.

In the last five years... 11-thousand degrees have been generated from the UCF-Valencia Campus.

FIEA is now the world’s top-ranked graduate program for video game design... with a dedicated talent pipeline to Electronic Arts, which employs more than a thousand people here in Downtown.

Here’s a fun fact.

42 FIEA graduates were credited with helping create EA Sports College Football 25, which generated $500 million dollars in sales within two weeks of its launch.

Also, Madden NFL, developed right here in Creative Village, sold more than 1 million copies in its first week.

This is tremendous validation of the partnership between the City, EA, UCF Downtown and Creative Village.

Imagine the kind of opportunity that lies ahead with the Creative Village!

 

Closing

In closing today... we want to end with a word about partnership and collaboration.

Everything we’ve discussed today is possible because of partnership.

So, we’ve got one, final ask for you.

Continue to be our partner by helping keep Downtown clean and safe.

Keeping Downtown clean and safe is a mission our City proudly leads.

But, it’s also a job for all of us.

That’s why today, we are launching the DTO Clean and Safe app.

Through the app... everyone will be able to...easily report non-emergency maintenance and public safety concerns in downtown Orlando.

Whether it's an overflowing trash can, graffiti on public property, or a tree in need of trimming, this app allows you to quickly describe an issue.., pinpoint the location... and include a photo to enhance your service request.

This will allow us to quickly and efficiently take care of any areas of concern and ensure our downtown is clean and safe for everyone.

Speaking of partnership... we want to recognize a few specific partners.

• DOP and Jill Vaughn for hosting this event ever year and the work they do to move our Downtown forward.
• Our City Commissioners.
  • Commissioner Jim Gray
  • Commissioner Tony Ortiz
  • Commissioner Robert Stuart
  • Commissioner Patty Sheehan
  • Commissioner Shan Rose
  • Commissioner Bakari Burns
  • You are the best partners any Mayor, anywhere could ever ask for.
• Members of our City family. The work you do for our residents is vital. The way you do it is awe-inspiring.  It’s an honor to work alongside you every single day.
• I’d like to thank my wife Susie for her enduring love and support. She’s here today with my sons Trey and Drew and our daughter-in-law Hannah, along with our grandson Forrest!

---

This has been a lengthy set of remarks.

Not because I enjoy talking... but because we want everyone to understand the magnitude and importance of what we’re bringing to life through our DTO Action Plan.

This is a big, ambitious plan that sets the stage for Downtown to own the future.

More important, it’s a plan to ensure that our Downtown is place where everyone can find themselves!

God bless America.

God bless the City of Orlando.

God bless Downtown Orlando.

Thank you!

###

December 7, 2022
Luminary Green Park
Watch the video

MAYOR DYER TO TECH WORKERS:  “JOIN US HERE IN THE METACENTER!”

The story of Orlando... is a story of resilience, reinvention, and rebirth.

For more than 150 years... Central Florida has been a land of opportunity... a place where people come to work hard, dream big and pursue a brighter future for their children and grandchildren.

That spirit of resilience, reinvention, and rebirth was present way back in 1843 when settlers decided that “Mosquito County” wasn’t the best name if you actually wanted to attract people to the area.

That first reinvention gave birth to Orange County... which led to the City of Jernigan... which eventually became what we know and love today...  the City of Orlando.

Decade after decade since... resilience, reinvention and rebirth has defined Orlando.

From cattle ranches... making way for the citrus industry... to becoming a military training center before and during World War 2... to our rise as the global epicenter for hospitality... to becoming a home for modeling, simulation and training... through booms and busts... through successes, challenges and even tragedies... our constant has been reinvention, resilience and rebirth.

So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that coming out of a global pandemic... Orlando is primed for another cycle of reinvention.

The reason we chose to have this conversation at our annual “State of Downtown” address... is because Downtown Orlando is the focal point of the oncoming wave of reinvention.

At this moment...a confluence of opportunities that include:

• The shifting nature of office work...
• A growing demand for technology...
• A mass migration to Orlando and the desire for a higher quality of life and urban living...
• And, an exploding need for quality, affordable housing...

Are all meeting in Downtown Orlando.

And, that means we have a history-making opportunity... here in Downtown Orlando.

Today, we’re going to talk about how we will take advantage of this opportunity... and continue to create prosperity for everyone who calls Central Florida home.

HOW WE GOT HERE

Before we dive in, it’s important to understand how we got here.

When we started working together, headlines called Downtown Orlando a “ghost town” and there were jokes about tumbleweeds rolling through the streets.

Who remembers that?

Out of that difficult reality... our community acted boldly and reshaped Downtown with iconic “gateway projects” that would:

• Double the amount of residents living in our urban core.
• Add world class community venues including the Dr. Phillips Center, the Amway Center and a refurbished Camping World Stadium.
• And, add green space with Constitution Green, Luminary Green and expanding Lake Eola Park.

Our hard work helped to create close to 28-thousand jobs and breathe life into our Downtown.

As we succeeded, we didn’t waste time congratulating ourselves.

Instead, we doubled down on our achievements.

In 2014, we got together once again to collectively ask “what’s next?”

The resounding answer was education.

So, we set to work to reinvent Downtown once more... as an educational hub... and an engine of opportunity for every single person who lives in... or has connectivity with... our urban core

We closed our eyes and imagined a cradle-to-a-career pathway for young people in Parramore.

We closed our eyes and imagined a place that leveraged education as an opportunity escalator for anyone connected with Downtown.

Look around.

The results of our imagination are all around us in the Creative Village.

We reinvented an aging arena and a sea of surface parking into...

• A neighborhood K-8 School for Parramore youth.
• The UCF and Valencia Downtown Campus where thousands of students activate this neighborhood every day.
• The Valencia Center for Accelerated Training that provides residents with short-term instruction and a pathway to secure jobs in high-demand, high wage industries.
• 640 student housing units.
• And, mix of nearly a thousand new affordable, attainable and market-rate multifamily housing options.

We certainly can’t forget the next great amenity for Creative Village – Luminary Green – where we’re standing right now.

This is an iconic space where residents and visitors can play outdoors or take part in signature events.

At night... it comes alive with interactive light installations.

The “luminary” part of luminary green isn’t just about light.

This park is literally dedicated to, and will feature the names of, luminaries from Parramore who made Orlando what it is today and remain a guiding light as we work together to forge a brighter future.

In total, the Creative Village represents 2 billion dollar’s worth of public-private investment.

We’re hearing from people who haven’t had the opportunity to experience this area because the pandemic changed their work requirements, commutes or leisure activities.

They are stunned at what’s happening here.

This is more than just shiny new buildings.

This is a city-within-a-city dedicated to unlocking the awesome power of education and opportunity... for everyone by:

• Nurturing our young people and creating students that are trained for the jobs of today and tomorrow...
• Attracting companies, like the east coast headquarters for Electronic Arts, that want to hire those students...
• Providing an unmatched quality of life, like dining at the Monroe...
• And, creating a neighborhood designed for entrepreneurship, partnership and collaboration so that new companies are created and grown right here!

To illustrate how this is benefiting us... look no further than our Parramore Kidz Zone initiative.

Since 2006, PKZ has served more than 7-thousand students with academic support, health and wellness programs.

It's also helped reduce juvenile arrest rates by 77 percent. 

The program recently moved into the beautifully renovated Grand Avenue Neighborhood Center.

And, with help from our partners at the Orlando Science Center, we're getting young residents ready for the careers of today and tomorrow that are being created in their own neighborhood by providing STEM education with support of NASA.

THE META-CENTER

It would be easy to look at all we’re doing in Creative Village and say, “Mission accomplished.”

But, that’s not what we do.

In Orlando... we say... “What’s Next”

In Orlando... we say... “How do we build on what we’ve done... to expand prosperity and opportunity to more people?”

In Orlando... we say... “What more can we do to create incredible career opportunities for the students from PKZ... and every young person in Central Florida.”

One answer is – the METAVERSE.

What is the Metaverse?

Imagine you could travel back in time to the early 90s and you were able to tell someone what the biggest driver of the global economy would be for the next three decades.

What would you say?

Obviously, you would tell them... “The Internet” – right?

Well, the Metaverse is going to be for the NEXT three decades... what the internet was for the PREVIOUS three decades.

The Metaverse is the foundation of the technology economy moving forward.

Going a little deeper...

The Metaverse is the virtual world in which people live, work, shop and interact with others -- all from the comfort of the physical world. 

It’s the fusion of a host of emerging technologies: augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, 3D reconstruction, gaming and the internet-of-things.

A prime example of Metaverse technology is the first regional digital twin of its scale in the world that has been built by the Orlando Economic Partnership.

Our digital twin is a virtual copy of 800 square miles of metro Orlando that looks identical to... and has the potential to mimic its real-world counterpart.

The value of this digital twin is that it’s able to simulate changes we want to make to the real world... before we make them... to see their impacts.

It can be used as a public resource, allowing transportation experts to see how a rail system might impact the region... for utility companies to map out 5G networks... and for ecologists to study the potential impacts of climate change.

Another example is being broadcast on the Electronic Arts building right now.

That’s actually my “digital double” on the screen.

The team at EA had me take part in the same process they use for professional athletes to create their virtual counterparts for cutting edge, immersive games.

In case anyone at EA is wondering... I wouldn’t be opposed to being included in the upcoming season of Madden.

I did play tight end in high school.

Any good NIL lawyers out there want to sign me up as a client?

So, why is the Metaverse so important to Orlando... and to Downtown Orlando in particular?

That’s because the Metaverse is literally being created in Orlando.

Orlando talent and technology have been pushing the boundaries of immersive experience, digital entertainment, 3D modeling and simulation since the beginning of the Space Race.

For nearly 15 years, UCF’s FIEA graduate video game development program has been one of the top five programs in the world and has ranked the #1 program in the nation for the past three years.

This foundation has allowed us to become the leading area in the U.S. that’s building the Metaverse.

At this moment... the highest concentration of game developer licenses in the entire country are in Central Florida.

LinkedIn calls us the fastest growing City in America for Entrepreneurs.

And, we’re the fastest growing U-S City for IT talent... and the second fastest growing city for tech worker salaries.

That’s why the companies that are building the Metaverse have set up shop and are investing in our community.... like Unity, Electronic Arts, Echo Interactive, Brand XR, and 302 Interactive.

To take advantage of this position... we’re planting Orlando’s flag in the ground as America’s premier City and region for all things Metaverse.

Today, I am proud to stand with all of you and declare that Orlando is.... THE META-CENTER of the Metaverse!

---

Look... we know many people are just starting to hear about the Metaverse.

But, this once-in-a-generation opportunity is very real... and very much within our grasp.

To emphasize this point... right now there are 25-hundred open tech jobs in our community.

25-hundred high-wage, in demand careers, many of which are helping to build the Metaverse.

Want to hear something else that’s really cool?

This event is being broadcast in the Metaverse right now.

Thanks to our partners at the Metaverse Construction Company and 302 Interactive, both local companies... it’s actually the very first Mayoral Address ever given in the Metaverse!

So, if you’re a technology worker experiencing this event from somewhere else...

Maybe you like 300 days of sunshine... no state income tax... and a community that welcomes diversity?

Consider this your personal invitation from the Mayor of Orlando.

We want you to share in what we’re building here in the META-CENTER.

We want you in Orlando!

DTO 2.0 / DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN

Inviting the world to do business in Orlando’s MetaCenter... is one more reason why we must continue to build a Downtown that competes with the great downtowns of the world.

It’s one more reason we must have a Downtown that truly “has something for everyone” and is exceptional every single day.

That’s where Project DTO... 2.0 comes in.

Eight years ago... the original Project DTO sparked our emergence as an academic and innovation destination.

It also made Downtown more walkable... added tons of green space... and expanded opportunities for urban living.

But, there’s more work to do.

There’s more potential to unlock.

We’re fortunate to have built a strong foundation and now it’s time to take the next steps.

For decades... American Downtowns have been designed as business, cultural and entertainment hubs where people enter... and then exit... in large numbers.

In and out... like an accordion.

This dynamic certainly applies to Orlando.

But, the nature of traditional office work and commuting is evolving.

That decades-old “in and out” model is changing.

How people experience a Downtown... and what they want out of an urban environment... is changing, too.

Taking advantage of this evolution.... is what DTO 2.0 is all about.

Over the past year, we’ve engaged in a shared planning process to ensure Downtown grows our business, cultural and entertainment amenities... while also creating more of an “urban neighborhood” environment.

Why a neighborhood?

Because people don’t just come in and out of neighborhoods.

They live there, invest there, and make memories there.

Neighborhoods don’t just have one or two big reasons to draw people in.

Neighborhoods are a collection of a million reasons why people spend time there and even draw their identities from there.

Neighborhoods are diverse and dynamic.

Neighborhoods have their own authentic character.

So, DTO 2.0 is an action plan for enacting dozens upon dozens of “small” steps that add up to one big evolution of Downtown Orlando as its own urban neighborhood:

• To start, we’re going to redesign our infrastructure block-by-block.
• We’re going to turn some of our major one-way thoroughfares back to two-way streets to encourage more retail and other destination spaces.
• We’re going to increase street cleaning.
• We’ll add smaller-scale attractions... so that no matter your age or stage in life... there are reasons to visit our urban core.
• We will upgrade our Lymmo circulator so that it better serves residents, visitors and our urban workforce.
• We’ll transform Lake Lucerne into the southern gateway to Downtown.
• We’re going to nurture more locally-owned small businesses and retail... to expand opportunity and help create the character that helps define a neighborhood.
• We’re implementing our master plan to continue improving our signature park at Lake Eola.
• We’re also bringing smaller-scale art and cultural amenities throughout Downtown.  That includes our new interactive art park, gallery and café that we’re calling “Art Squared”... also activating the space under Interstate 4 with the Under-I... and a new mural that showcases what’s “Unbelievably Real” about our community.

While DTO 2.0 is a long-term plan... we’ll see key pieces in action immediately.

This includes our most important job... keeping everyone safe.

We’re creating a unique live-work-learn-and-play environment here.

But, the “play” dynamic must be safe, particularly at night.

That’s why we’re working to amend our land development code to increase safety at night by better regulating parking lots, reducing nuisances, and enhancing our noise ordinances.

This work goes hand in hand with what our police department is doing to combat all crime.

OPD has increased the size and coverage of Downtown Patrol Units during the day – and with special officers for weekend nights.

They’ve added Police Officers to all Patrol Units responsible for Downtown and Parramore areas... and also created a Tactical Patrol Unit specifically designed to impact violent crime and get crime guns off the street.

---

Bringing our vision of an urban neighborhood to life... means continuing to create a Downtown where everyone who wants to live... can do so... regardless of income level.

We just helped clear the way for 194 more units of affordable housing as part of the Beacon development.

That brings the total number of affordable housing units to more than 450, just in the Creative Village.

The second phase of Parramore Oaks will be completed this summer, adding another 91 affordable housing units to our community.

And, later in 2023 Society Orlando is scheduled to open adding close to 500 new apartments, including studios and lower-cost options.

The Commons is a recently-announced project on the corner of Rosalind Avenue and Pine Street... with a 400 unit, 25-story apartment tower with ground-floor retail space and a three-story office building.

The Edge is set to break ground in the next few months at Church Street... the 33-story tower includes 200 multifamily units... a hotel... office space... retail space...  and an integrated SunRail station.

---

Bringing our vision of an urban neighborhood to life... also means continuing to take care of our most vulnerable neighbors.

We partnered with First Step Staffing to locate its Orlando office in the heart of Parramore where they connected more than 300 individuals experiencing homelessness with jobs and job-training. 

In July we launched Accelerate Orlando, which leverages 58 million dollars in federal funding to invest in Orlando’s trusted service providers, including the Christian Service Center, Salvation Army and Coalition for the Homeless, to modernize their campuses, offer more wrap-around services and grow daytime operations, which means fewer unsheltered neighbors on our streets.

Through Accelerate Orlando, we’re investing in the conversion of the blighted Ambassador Hotel at Westmoreland and Colonial into 150 affordable apartments for families and individuals.

We’re working with the Zebra Coalition to turn another 22 hotel units into homes for LGBTQ+ youth.

And, we’re going to develop 80 apartment units for workforce housing and up to 10-single family homes in Parramore and expand down payment support, housing counseling and access to repairs for low-income residents.

While most cities had no choice but to use this federal funding to cover deficits they’d incurred during the pandemic... Orlando was different.

Our strong financial management through the crisis allowed us to use this federal money to make the most significant investment in our history to help care for those experiencing homelessness.

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Bringing our vision of an urban neighborhood to life... means continuing to grow Downtown Orlando as an urban environment that draws major events.

We had so many this year.

Who can forget the excitement when Orlando City made its thrilling run to win the U.S. Open Cup trophy.

We also hosted new kinds of events this year.

We welcomed the Special Olympics USA Games.

I-P-W, the travel industry’s largest show, hosted an entire night in Downtown Orlando showcasing our city center to tens of thousands of hospitality professionals thanks to our partnership with Visit Orlando.

Once, again, we welcomed Synapse, a celebration of our region’s innovators and technology economy at the Dr. Phillips Center.

We opened Steinmetz Hall, completing our vision for a true world class arts destination.

The FringeArts Space at 55 West opens in January.

In just the last week... we expanded “DTO for the Holidays”... a mix of events taking place throughout Downtown all December including... The Lake Eola Wonderland Christmas Tree Show... Snow Fall at the Lake Eola House... holiday markets and even the chance to visit Santa.

Our three bowl games kick off in a few days.

The Magic have a bright future with one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA. 

We've got Solar Bears... and in just a few months we'll have the return of the Pride and the Predators, plus a new team, the XFL's Orlando Guardians, playing at Camping World Stadium.

Once again, we’ll play host to first and second round games of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March.

The biggest news yet... In 2024 we’ll host the U-S Olympic Marathon trials.

We want our streets packed to cheer on the best runners in America as they compete on a course that will wind throughout our Downtown... to have the honor of representing our country in the upcoming Paris games!

RECOGNITIONS & THANK-YOU’S

This has been a lengthy talk... but that’s because there’s so much going on right now in our Downtown.

None of it would be possible without all of you.

So, please, join us as we recognize and thank some of our partners:

We want to start by recognizing the elected leadership of our City...

• Commissioner Jim Gray
• Commissioner Tony Ortiz
• Commissioner Robert Stuart
• Commissioner Patty Sheehan
• Commissioner Regina Hill
• Commissioner Bakari Burns

We want to give a massive thank you to the Downtown Orlando Partnership for hosting this event and providing this platform to focus on our beloved Downtown.

Mr. Downtown... Thomas Chatmon... and the entire team at the Downtown Development board.

Every member of our City family... your hard work and dedication to serving this community inspires us all.

To close this afternoon...

The reinvention and rebirth we’re talking about won’t happen by itself.

It will only happen if we continue prioritize partnership and collaboration over all the other nonsense and noise that can often paralyze progress.

For close to two decades, we’ve proudly proclaimed that partnership and collaboration is our strategic advantage.

That sentiment is as true today as it was when we first started to imagine the future for our beloved Downtown.

From the bottom of my heart... I hope each of you is as excited about our future as I am.

I hope each of you feels the same sense of momentum that I do as we work together to unlock prosperity for everyone!

Thank you all for being here today... in person... on social media... and now in the Metaverse.

God Bless America.

And... today on Pearl Harbor Day... God Bless all who died that day.. and all who have served or currently serve our country.

God Bless the City of Orlando.

And, God Bless Downtown Orlando.

Thank you so much for being here.

September 20, 2005

Thank you, Frank, for that excellent recap and for all of the great work you, your Board and staff deliver for downtown and the City of Orlando each and every day. I would also like to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership for hosting this meeting, and especially our Orlando City Commissioners who share our vision for downtown.

Before I begin, I want to take a moment and reflect on our fellow American citizens along the Gulf Coast. As we see the images of the devastation in so many communities, we realize just how blessed we are to be here today, meeting in our downtown with all the growth and prosperity around us. From our experiences with Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, I know the dedication and resolve of the people in this room to restore communities. And I know that you have given selflessly to rebuild the cities of the Gulf Coast. Last Friday’s Tri-County League of Cities food drive for the Second Harvest Food Bank, was a prime example of our community’s commitment… our citizens made the most donations ever at a single site for Second Harvest with more than 75,000 pounds of food… your compassion is commendable.

As I was thinking about how best to describe the state of our downtown … something occurred to me. Each of you, as you made your way here today, experienced a part of what has become our downtown’s exciting renaissance… projects and programs that did not exist 2 years ago.

Arriving from the North on I-4, you passed the sites of the new Federal Court House Building and the new Florida AM college of Law, which will open in a few short months and serve as home to 750 law school students in the heart of our City.

Arriving from the South on I-4, you witnessed the excitement of our growing downtown skyline and the new CNL tower, which will be completed by year-end.

If you came from the East, through downtown; you may have passed one of many projects underway, including the new residential units at the Sanctuary and the Jackson, the new construction site for the 35-story VUE project … or the soon-to-break-ground Paramount project, which will include our first full-service downtown grocery store in decades.

If you came from the West, you may have seen the new Carver Park or Parramore Village residential sites, or our new Parramore Heritage Park. You probably noticed students from the inaugural class of UCF’s state-of-the-art School of Film and Digital Media.

If you simply walked here or rode the Lymmo circulator, you most likely witnessed the dramatic construction of Premier Trade Plaza rising out of the ground at our City’s cornerstone block, or perhaps, you passed 55 West… these two projects will forever change the flavor of our central core.

If you arrived from the North or South on Orange Avenue, you passed through our City Gateways, anchored by Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional Healthcare. We are fortunate to have two of Florida’s largest and fastest growing medical centers downtown, and expanding under the visionary leadership of Don Jernigan and John Hillenmeyer.

Florida Hospital will begin construction on October 25th, on a new fifteen-floor 660,000 square foot building that is twice the size of the existing hospital tower. And next Spring, Orlando Regional will open their new 400,000 square foot Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.

I think all of us here today agree that in just a few short years, and in many cases just during the past year, our downtown has truly turned around … and we’re not done yet. Just today, a new residential project, Thornton Commons, went before the Municipal Planning Board. When City Council approves the board action, this development will include 510 residential condominiums, approximately 37,000 square feet of retail space, and over 1,000 parking spaces. On the corner of Eola Drive and Church Streets, is a proposed 12-story multi-family residential property with 133 apartment units and ground floor retail and parking components. And in October, the Monarch at the northeast corner of Liberty and South Street, will go before the MPB for approval on a 23-story condominium project with ground floor retail space and parking. HOW ABOUT THAT!

Since I became Mayor I have shared my vision for our downtown … in fact, I’ve shared it so many times most of you should be able to recite it by now. Let me see … who here today can recite my vision? How about Kimbra Hennessey? (“Your vision is for a Center City with multi-modal transportation, world-class destinations and venues, vibrant neighborhoods, a diversified economy with high-quality, high-wage jobs… an urban core where citizens and visitors alike, want to live, work, play and learn.”) That’s right! And ladies and gentlemen, with the commitment from every stakeholder in this room, we are turning that vision into action!

With all the new development and a rapidly growing urban population, improved transportation will be critical to our downtown’s success. That is why I created the City’s first cabinet level Transportation Department, which recently launched the most comprehensive downtown transportation plan in the City’s history. Upon completion, the plan will show that improving transportation in our City’s core benefits not only those living here, but also visitors to our downtown.

The keystone of our transportation system is transit circulators... like the Lymmo. Joanie Schirm leads our new “Get Around Team” that is advocating transit circulators to link all parts of our downtown: from Florida Hospital in the North to Orlando Regional Hospital in the South; from the Citrus Bowl in the West to Thornton Park in the East. This effort will allow our citizens to access areas downtown quickly and safely… without ever using a car.

Our transportation systems extend beyond the City limits. Thanks to our Congressional Delegation, and specifically Congressman Mica, we have secured the federal funding share to begin commuter rail in 2009. Commuter rail can reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and you know what? Even if you you’re not a frequent rider, commuter rail will finally rid the frustration associated with regular freight train interruptions.

As I stood before you last year, I said that if we are to succeed, we must bridge our core with Thornton Park on the east and Parramore on the West … and we are building that bridge with our bold Pathways for Parramore initiative. Working hand-in-hand with Commissioner Lynum, we are getting it done. Building off the recommendations of our Parramore Task Force, which was lead by Brian Butler, we are unveiling for the first time a vision plan for this important part of our City.

This plan directs block-by-block development, ensuring mixed-use development similar to City View and Hughes Supply in the area east of Parramore Avenue, a largely undeveloped commercial area. The “Town Center” in Parramore will include a mixture of office, residential and retail development, and we will work to ensure business opportunities that reflects the diversity of our community.

The key to the vision plan is our first pathway … housing. Already, we have three projects that will deliver on our commitment to provide affordable quality housing. Carver Park, Parramore Village, and Federal Otey Place will bring approximately 330 new units of housing to Parramore . . . increasing not just homeowners . . . but stakeholders . . . the foundation of any healthy neighborhood. And we will not stop there. I’ve directed staff to identify programs to assist existing Parramore residents with home ownership opportunities in both Parramore Village and Federal Otey Place.

We are also focused on enhancing the quality of life within the Parramore neighborhood. I want to thank Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Senator Bill Nelson for their efforts to secure $17 million in federal funding for the City to completely transform West Church Street from Terry Avenue, past the new Parramore Heritage Park, to the Citrus Bowl. This comprehensive revitalization will return Church Street to a grand boulevard connecting Parramore and Downtown.

You heard my educational priorities many times before… especially for the children of Parramore. What you may not have heard is that I’ve asked a group of our partners, led by Florida Hospital’s Rich Morrison, to plan for a new children’s education campus that will combine the Nap Ford School, a Boy’s and Girl’s Club, and the Orange County Early Learning Coalition. This campus will serve children from infancy through eighth grade, and will offer after school services for children through 12th grade. This is an important commitment and it is one of the most significant investments we can make!

I want to shift gears… I want to return to a conversation that I started last year about upgrading the cultural, sporting and entertainment facilities that serve our entire region. Their improvement will require long-term commitment from the City of Orlando, Orange County, and our many regional partners.

I want to improve the community venues because doing so is directly tied to the region's ability to thrive. We are in competition with other cities and other regions throughout the country for jobs, commercial investment, and economic development. Modern facilities and rich cultural opportunities attract positive growth in Central Florida. I want to make sure that the next time a company like Scripps short-lists Orlando; we have the world-class facilities that ensure our place at the top of the list.

Unfortunately, Orlando now lags behind other southeastern cities including Memphis, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa, and even Jacksonville. In fact, over the last 15 years, Orlando is the only major City in the southeastern United States that hasn't invested in or modernized community facilities. Our citizens deserve better.

Think about it, many of our fondest memories are centered around activities and events that happen at ball parks, at concert halls and in stadiums. They are the icons of civic identity and pride … Baltimore’s Camden Yards, Denver’s Mile High Stadium and New York’s Lincoln Center all help define the soul of their cities. No matter where you’re from, Orlando is your home and we deserve to build new memories with our children, friends and family in facilities we can be proud of. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s our turn.

A year ago, at this very event, we started the discussion of the need to invest in community facilities, including our aging Florida Citrus Bowl, TD Waterhouse Centre, and a new Performing Arts Center. Last Friday, our hard work and efforts delivered news that will bring our vision to fruition.

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty confirmed to me in writing that he supports using the tourist development tax to fund community projects for the most deserving population … the people that live here!

In seeking the funding for the quality community facilities, we all realize the answer lies in supporting a vision that does not short-change our citizens. I applaud Mayor Crotty for his willingness to push for the level of resources for our downtown facilities that we dedicated to our mission to build a world-class convention center that is key in supporting our tourism industry. And, let me be extremely clear, we support our hospitality industry partners and will include them in any tourist tax and community facility discussions.

We have made great strides in the decades old plan for a new world-class Performing Arts Center. Just last year, I announced the formation of the Orlando Performing Arts Center Board of Directors chaired by Jim Pugh and comprised of key community leaders, including Dick Nunis and Jim Seneff, to create the framework for this much needed facility. On September 1st, they reached a major milestone by selecting Houston-based developer Hines to define a plan for submittal to Dr. Hitt, Mayor Crotty and me in early 2006.

With an economic impact of more than $42 million from the 2005 Capital One Bowl game alone and as host of the largest Black College Football Classic in the Country, Florida Citrus Sports has harnessed a group of community stakeholders chaired by Ford Kiene and Harvey Massey to recommend upgrades needed to increase the number and quality of Citrus Bowl events. Our downtown stadium’s benefits reach well beyond our downtown businesses … the events impact all of our partners including our theme parks, our arts and our hospitality industry. Citrus Bowl events have become a model of how joint commitment results in joint benefit.

Citizens have also begun to realize that our hometown arena should offer more. While our facility is booked for 152 events this year, including Arena Football, religious convocations, graduations, concerts, not to mention 45 Magic home games, Orlando is being passed over for newer facilities; forcing our citizens to drive to Tampa, Melbourne and beyond for quality entertainment.

Since the beginning of this discussion, I’ve been overwhelmed by the ground swell of support from groups and individuals in our community that care about our future. For the first time, business, government, community and private groups are in dialogue about bringing a vision for multiple world-class facilities to reality. We must harness and coordinate this energy and enthusiasm so that plans for each facility compliment rather than compete with one another.

To that end, I have asked Mayor Bill Frederick to assist me in encouraging the critical stakeholders to work together toward a unified facilities vision.

We cannot afford to shy away from making this investment. Ask our Economic Development partners like Jacob Stuart Ray Gilley and they will tell you that these facilities are critical to attracting the high-wage jobs that we need to provide opportunities for our citizens and grow our economy. I believe the timing is right … by investing in these facilities; we are investing in our economy, in our people and in our future.

One of our best opportunities to define that future and diversify our economy is our 70-acre Centroplex. In the past few months our aging and under-utilized Expo Centre has been transformed to a new home for the UCF School of Film and Digital Media as well as the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, which will soon grow to a hot bed of activity, and home to over 3,000 students.

The new downtown UCF facility is just the start . . . Dr. John Hitt and University staff have become valuable and dedicated partners in diversifying our economy and growing high-wage high-value jobs, and I thank Dr. Hitt for his friendship and vision. We are already hearing from Digital Media firms that are interested in locating close to the UCF facility. Imagine the Centroplex transformed into an urban creative village comprised with a mixture of residential, retail, office and education uses. Well, we’re making it happen!

For the past six months staff has been working on a thorough analysis to develop an RFQ to transform the Centroplex into a district attractive to high-tech and Digital Media firms and support services. In the coming decades, Orlando will be known worldwide for its Digital Media Village.

Orlando is a City with a great downtown. However, Orlando can be a city with a spectacular downtown . . . Central Floridians throughout the Region all gain when downtown is flourishing. Time and time again, studies show that a prosperous downtown influences property values in neighborhoods throughout the City and beyond. Our downtown serves as the central neighborhood for the entire region and defines us as a community and it’s where we come together for culture, entertainment, business, government services and more.

My goal is to create a downtown that is one of the best in America, one that is the envy of other cities. One that appeals to citizens and visitors alike. I could not be more optimistic about our future.

In closing, I want to again thank our City Council members who have embraced much of what we have done and have always been there to move our City forward. Now, I challenge each and every one of you to think BOLD, think BIG and remember our vision, as we continue building opportunities for our citizens and future generations.

This is your City! This is your Downtown!

It’s our turn!

December 13, 2021
Exploria Stadium
Watch the video

DTO Together

Good afternoon and welcome to our annual State of Downtown event!

Notice that when I say “annual” I’m using huge air quotes.

That’s because it has been more than two years since we’ve gathered for this event.

Over these many months, we made the right and responsible choice to pause our large, in-person City events.

But, today we are back... WE ARE VAXED... and we are excited... to be together once again!

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First, in all sincerity, THANK YOU for getting vaccinated and protecting one another.

That’s why we can gather here today.

Before we get to our program... I’d like to say a few words about the power of togetherness.

This is the State of Downtown event.

When most of us hear “Downtown Orlando,” we think about places...

Our skyline... Lake Eola... Watching a Magic game at the Amway Center... Church Street... the UCF/Valencia Campus... your favorite restaurant... maybe THIS Soccer Stadium!

But, here’s the thing.

Buildings and iconic landmarks might be a physical representation of what a downtown is... but the soul of a downtown is about being TOGETHER.

The soul of a downtown is about the unique experiences that can only be created when we are TOGETHER.

The soul of a downtown is about the memories we make TOGETHER.

Unfortunately, for the last two years... a little piece of our soul has been missing.

So, how about we pause for a moment and celebrate the simple fact that we are together in our beloved Downtown Orlando!

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For almost 20 years, State of Downtown has served as a platform to celebrate our shared successes... establish goals for the upcoming year... and continue to refine our vision for a vibrant, diverse and prosperous downtown.

The last two years have been unlike any in our Downtown’s history.

So many of our neighbors have spent every day fighting to make sure their businesses survive.

Other workers still haven’t returned full-time to Downtown.

Still, others are trying to figure out what the future holds as our City, our state and our country, struggles with questions about the workforce... the economy... inflation... the supply chain... and on and on.

As part of all that... the pandemic has ushered in a realignment of how people live and work... and how companies locate, expand... and do business.

It makes sense that if much of our lives and economy are in flux... then so is the state of our Downtown.

But... being in flux is not the same as being in trouble.

Because of the work we’ve done together, Downtown Orlando is well positioned to take advantage of these new dynamics. 

That’s the focus of today’s program...

Where Downtown is right now and where we’re headed... what are the challenges in front of us... what are the opportunities... and why we’ve got so much to be excited about.

The format for today’s event is going to be a little different than in past years.

Rather than a formal policy speech, we’re going to do something more personal.

We are going to do the embodiment of what it means to be TOGETHER.

We’re going to have a “Town Hall” style meeting.

We want to hear from you...  your questions, your concerns and your constructive criticism...emphasis on constructive.

What reasons do you have to celebrate... what challenges are impacting you?

In terms of organization, we’re going to have five distinct conversations that cover five different topic areas:

1.     Development

2.     Business Growth

3.     Downtown Amenities

4.     Housing & Homelessness

5.     Mobility

Feel free to take some time and come up with great questions.

I’m so excited to have these conversations and hear from you!

Our staff members have microphones at the ready so everyone can hear your questions.

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Our first topic... Development in Downtown Orlando.

We have to start with Creative Village.

We’ve spent the last 15 years making progress in redeveloping 68 acres into the most robust educational ecosystem in the state of Florida... infused with a mix of places to live and work.  

Our vision has sprung to life in the last two years.

We’re going to hear a lot today about what’s happening in Creative Village because it touches all of our topic areas... affordable housing, arts and culture, public space and mobility.

Add to that... the incredible development that’s occurring throughout our downtown... and at AdventHealth and Orlando Health that flank Downtown.

Here’s an important fact.

Historically... Downtown Orlando has added one major office building every ten years.

Right now, we’re on pace to shatter that record.

Two office towers were just completed.... and two more are getting ready to start construction - at Church Street and at Creative Village.

In total, we’ve got more than 5.7 billion dollars in projects proposed or under construction.

That means... development did not slow down during the pandemic... it actually sped up.

So, what do you want to know about development in downtown?

Turn your attention to the screens and I’ll take your questions after the video.

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Let’s move on to our second discussion topic... Business Activity and Small Businesses in Downtown Orlando.

The last time we gathered for this event, we announced that Electronic Arts was coming Downtown and building a state-of-the-art office for 1,000 employees.

Just two short years later... EA’s new Orlando Studio is complete.

EA is a great example of our shared plan to ensure Downtown Orlando is the regional hub for high wage, high value careers of the future.

Livability, mobility and accessibility are many of the reasons businesses like EA are choosing Downtown.

The same is true for Assured-Partners which relocated its global headquarters... and Sonesta International Hotels... which opened a new Shared Services Center in downtown.

And, both of these companies are employing residents at salaries in excess of 85-thousand dollars a year.

Of course, business in Downtown Orlando doesn’t just mean corporate headquarters or big brands.

Our locally-owned and beloved small businesses - like those in our Main Streets and in Parramore – are vital to our future.

They’re what makes our urban core a truly special space.

As Mayor, I get to participate in a lot of ribbon cuttings.

Honestly, I can’t remember when I participated in as many as we did in the past year.

We’ve welcomed new businesses like Dexter’s Birdland... The Monroe... The 808... Mecato’s Bakery... Haos on Church … Blue Swan Boulders... and Eat the Frog.

We’ve cut the ribbon on the new AC by Marriott... the Hilton and Home 2 Suites... and celebrated the opening of new class-A office space at the SunTrust Tower.

Continuing to develop a diverse business ecosystem is how we attract and retain employers... and how we attract and retain talent.

It’s how we continue to build a resilient downtown that’s an engine for shared prosperity.

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Let’s move on to our third discussion topic... Our Downtown Amenities:  the Arts, Events, Community Venues and Green Space!

We just talked about why having a unique ecosystem of businesses is important for our future.

We also know those businesses and their workforce demand a wide array of leisure offerings.

That’s why we initially invested in our “community venues” -- the Amway Center, Camping World Stadium and Dr. Phillips Center.

And, we’re excited to announce the final theater – Steinmetz Hall will open next month!

With our venues we’ve proudly declared there isn’t an event that Downtown can’t host.

We are putting that declaration to the test... as we pursue massive global events such as World Cup and World Pride.

We’ve got a stacked slate of major events coming... including Billy Joel and Garth Brooks, both at Camping World Stadium for their only Florida shows.

We host three bowl games – including the Cure Bowl, which is in this stadium.

We're having a banner year for non-sporting events and family shows at the Amway Center and Camping World Stadium.

Our previous record is 43 shows in a single year.

We've already surpassed that and are on pace to shatter that record by 50 percent.

But, to fulfill our shared vision for DTO, we must continue to infuse Downtown with even more cultural and arts amenities.

Together with our partners we’re planning for the Holocaust Museum and the National Pulse Memorial and Museum. 

We’re also redefining what it means to be a community venue.

Through investments in Art-squared... Luminary Green at Creative Village... and the Under-I... we are adding new, unique public spaces to our list of venues.

These shared spaces... and green spaces are magnets for residents and visitors.

They provide great platforms for homegrown events such as Immerse and Fusion Fest... all the way to family picnics... or iconic spots where students take their graduation pictures.

This is going to be a fun discussion... what amenities and events do you want to see in Orlando?

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Our fourth topic... is Housing and the ongoing challenge of Homelessness.

We’ve talked about progress in downtown amid historic challenges.

The reality is that many of the challenges that existed prior to 2020 remain, and some have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

This includes the availability of housing for residents at all income levels.

Our downtown must be a downtown for EVERYONE.

That means every person... regardless of their economic status... has access to quality housing they can afford.... and can share in everything that makes living here so special.

That’s why the city has invested more than 21 million dollars into affordable housing in Downtown.

This investment has yielded roughly a quarter billion dollars in private investment... and led to the construction of new apartments and homes and the rehabilitation of existing rental units.

In total since 2017... we have helped build or rehabilitate more than 1,000 units of affordable housing in downtown.

This includes increasing our inventory of permanent supportive housing to provide a home for those who previously experienced homelessness.

Using the housing-first model, our goal is to connect our most vulnerable neighbors with a permanent home.

We want every resident to have access to a safe place to sleep and their basic needs of clothing, food and hygiene met.

That’s why the city invests four million dollars each year to nearly 20 partner agencies for programs that support those who are experiencing homelessness.

Fighting homelessness is not simple or easy.

But, we cannot waiver.

Our region is known for using the power of partnership to solve complex challenges.

And... collaboration is the key to overcoming the challenge of homelessness.

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Our fifth and final discussion topic... is Mobility.

When you think about great cities what comes to mind? 

Perhaps it’s the ease and options of getting where you want to go...

From meeting to meeting... from museum to park... from home to work... from one cool neighborhood to the next for shopping and dining.

Transportation is our final focus area today.

As you can see, it connects to every other focus area we’ve talked about. 

It is literally that connection between development efforts... businesses... events and cultural amenities.

As the economic and cultural hub for our region, our Downtown must connect our urban core to the rest of the region, the airport and the entire state.

As a Central Florida community, we’ve made great strides in expanding these connections...

By the end of this year the I-4 Ultimate will be complete.

And, next year Brightline begins service to Orlando, providing high speed rail options from Miami to Orlando.

Here, in our urban core, we’ve increased mobility options...

Through a partnership with Lynx and OUC, our downtown bus circulator LYMMO, is now more efficient, operating with electric battery power.

Our electric scooter system has seen more than a million scooter trips with one quarter replacing car trips.

And next month we’ll start construction on the Downtown Connector trail and close the largest gap in our Downtown Loop, providing another safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists.

And as our Downtown continues to grow, our transportation infrastructure will need to grow, too.

That’s why we’re launching a Downtown Master Planning initiative.  

This is a massive undertaking that will examine how our residents and visitors travel in, out of and around our Downtown... and explore ways to enhance those corridors for every mode of traveler.

We’ll be looking at changing Orange Avenue and Magnolia Avenue into two-way corridors.

And, we’ll conduct an in-depth walking audit and identify new gateways and festival streets throughout our core.

As you can see there is a lot to talk about when it comes to transportation and continuing that work will be critical to keeping Downtown moving forward.

 

Closing

That’s all the time we have.

Before we transition to our reception... I want to say a few thank yous. First to my beautiful wife,
Susie, for her love and support...

As well as to my oldest son Trey who is here today.  

To the members of the Orlando City Council who are here today.

Commissioner Jim Gray...

Commissioner Tony Ortiz...

Commissioner Robert Stuart...

Commissioner Patty Sheehan...

Commissioner Regina Hill...

Commissioner Bakari Burns...

Each of you represent different parts of our City... but each of those districts has a unique and equally important connection to Downtown.

So, thank you for all you do for Orlando and for our Downtown.

No Mayor in America has better partners than you, it’s a privilege to work with each of you every day.

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We’re fortunate to have other elected officials with us today.

Please help me recognize...

• Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings
• State Representative Travaris McCurdy
• State Representative Anna Eskamani

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UCF President Dr. Alexander Cartwright is here, let’s recognize the leadership of our hometown university!

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So much of what we’ve accomplished together is due in large part to the hard work of our Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelopment Agency.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the DDB.

And, I am pleased to acknowledge its executive director... Mr Downtown himself... Thomas Chatmon. 

We’re excited to have Thomas here and in great health.

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We also want to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership for its leadership... and for hosting this event.

As we heard earlier... It’s the DOP’s 60^th birthday.

Here’s to another 60 years of progress and partnership in Downtown!

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We want to recognize out hosts today... the ownership and leadership of our two hometown soccer clubs.

Orlando Pride and Orlando City owner and chairman Mark Wilf is with us, joined by his executive board and their two recently announced new leaders.

With us as well... is new Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell…And, new Orlando City/Orlando Pride President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon.

Let’s all give them a warm welcome to the City Beautiful!

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We started by talking about the importance of togetherness.

There’s a kind of magic that happens when people get together and share time with one another at an event.

I hope we’ve all experienced a little bit of that today.

But, there’s also another sort of togetherness that powers our Downtown and our entire Orlando community.

That togetherness comes from true partnership.

It’s the magic that happens when we work together... when we prioritize collaboration and compromise.

We all have different reasons and motivations for why we care so much about Downtown Orlando.

Maybe it’s the pride you feel when you see our skyline grow... or when you hear relatives up north say they heard Downtown Orlando is the place to be!

Perhaps it’s opportunity... a new career at a company that’s moving Downtown.

Maybe you’ve discovered a new favorite place to eat... or that spending time in your favorite park offers a little respite from the hectic work week.

Perhaps, your passion is helping others.

Or, you’re excited about the idea of ditching your car and using new forms of transit to get around.

Or... perhaps it’s a million other opportunities waiting to be unlocked in Downtown Orlando.

But, the point is... everyone who lives here... who works here... who learns here... who plays here... who invests here... everyone who has a connection to Downtown... has a story.

Together... those stories paint a powerful picture of the prosperous future that lies ahead for Downtown Orlando.

That picture... that mosaic of partnership... IS Downtown Orlando... TOGETHER!

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Thank you, everyone, for being a part of Downtown... for sharing your thoughts... for your ambition and hopefulness... and for contributing to meaningful experiences just like this one. 

Today, I am the happiest mayor in America.

May God bless America... our Orlando Community... and the Downtown we love so much!

October 4, 2006

It is working now!

Starting with a man named Walt Disney … who dared to imagine that vast orange groves could become the world’s top travel destination … our region has been defined by our ability to dream BIG.

For the past several years, we’ve gathered at this event and discussed our big dreams. We’ve imagined and talked about how to create a world-class urban core for our residents.

I submit to you that while laying out our vision was important … more important was our commitment to act on that vision … to push beyond a possibility and create reality.

In fact, just two years ago almost to the day, at this very State of the Downtown address, we announced our City Council’s vision for building three new community venues – a performing arts center, an events center and a renovated citrus bowl. On that day two years ago, I pledged that we together, would have the new performing arts center out of the ground within four years and we’re right on schedule.

And I joked, and even got a little grief for it, that little ole Jacksonville was hosting the Super Bowl that year. Well, this year Miami is hosting the Super Bowl, but the important difference is that now, Orlando could host the Super Bowl in years to come.

Mayor Crotty, my friend and partner, is here with us today. Last week, he and I stood together with our city council and county commission to unveil a plan that builds on our amazing residential, retail and commercial renaissance - and delivers us at the doorstep of becoming the greatest city, not just in Florida, but in the entire country.

I called the plan a “Triple Crown for Downtown” and that is just what it is. In the midst of one of the nation’s most successful revitalizations of a downtown we will build three world-class community venues … venues that will make us proud and show the world that Orlando is no longer a second tier city. We will stand head-to-head and shoulder-to-shoulder with any region in the world.

Today, we celebrate this most recent success, but first let’s talk about the path that we forged together and that brought us to this pinnacle.

It began with a simple statement from our Downtown Strategic Transition Team three years ago … we will create “A dynamic downtown model for the 21st century. A safe, sustainable, livable and vibrant city center. A welcome and desirable place for all people, especially the citizens of Orlando.” And, that is exactly what we are doing.

Ongoing Development:

As you leave today and look down Church Street, you will see two mixed-use projects that ignited our renaissance and began the live, work and play movement in our downtown.

Now, I will concede there was some speculation whether 55 West would ever get underway, but today, it’s going up … it’s going up in a big way. Once completed, this 34-story complex will be one of several projects that rival our City’s tallest building, the SunTrust tower.

And as we speak, the finishing touches are being put on the Premiere Trade Plaza. In fact … if you reach into the bag that was on your seat you’ll find a pair of movie vouchers, courtesy of Kuhn Management, for our City’s first downtown movie theater in decades opening early next year.

We’ve promised to make Downtown a place for everyone, and these two catalytic projects sparked a surge of activity that is making it happen … with retail, entertainment and restaurant choices, along with residential units, all within walking distance.

In April, we announced the new Capital Plaza III complex, a true “mixed-use” project that includes a 150-room hotel and 9,000 square feet of retail space.

The new City Arts Factory became the anchor for the City’s Downtown arts district … with five art galleries, a classroom, an artist’s studio and 8,000 square feet of event and performance space.

Last month the longest concrete pour in the history of our City took place in Downtown. Crews spent 27 hours pouring the foundation of The Paramount … which will house the first urban grocery store in our Downtown core in decades. And in mid-September we celebrated the completion of the top floor of the 18-story, Star Tower on East Jackson Street.

Yesterday, I attended the grand opening of The Lexington, Downtown’s newest luxury hotel. And, tonight I will attend an event to celebrate the construction of a new 23-story condominium project called The Monarch. In the next year or so, two more important downtown projects will be complete, the VUE and the Dynetech building. And, next week, ground will break on a new downtown apartment complex … Camden Orange Court.

New restaurants have also begun to pop up all over downtown... Pearl Steakhouse and the Exchange Lounge, which recently opened on Church Street, as well as The Beacon, Fifi's and Graze, which are all opening on the ground floor of The Sanctuary.

Unimaginable three years ago … residents and visitors alike will now be able to stroll down to Church Street for dinner, head back to Orange Avenue to catch a movie then across the street to the Arts Factory for the opening of a new exhibit. That’s a lifestyle our residents deserve.

And just imagine what that experience will be like in three more years with the vibrancy of community venues… broadways shows, conference championships and cultural opportunities.

Parramore:

Our commitment to revitalizing Downtown remains focused on both the eastside and the west side of I-4. We are delivering on that commitment with a host of projects aimed at revitalizing Parramore while preserving the neighborhood’s heritage.

We are crossing man-made barriers with sustainable bridges such as the five Pathways for Parramore – housing, public safety, quality of life, children education and business development. Since Commissioner Lynum and I launched the Pathways for Parramore initiative last year, a host of organizations such as the Orlando Housing Authority, Black Business Investment Fund, Bank of America, and the Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation have joined us.

Through our recently appointed Attainable Housing Task Force, and projects like Otey Place, Parramore Village and Carver Park, which are going to provide housing for people of all income levels, we will strengthen and protect our neighborhoods.

Soon, as residents and visitors head west down Church Street, they will not stop at I-4. They will continue on down the newly renovated $17 million grand entertainment boulevard, West Church street, and head over to Parramore Heritage Park … offering new open space for gatherings and celebrations.

Residents of Parramore, as they visit their new Heritage Park will feel safe. We are taking the deliberate steps today to focus on the immediate needs and create public safety solutions for the future.

OPD officers are connecting with residents, walking the streets and meeting the specific needs of the neighborhood, and we’ve opened a brand new police sub-station in the City View development on West Church Street to make those officers more accessible to the neighborhood.

This commitment has been made to the entire city. In fact, this week marks the official start of our new fiscal year, and the beginning of a $110 million public safety initiative. I can tell you that this administration and our City Council remain committed to Public Safety.

In August, we also formed the Safe Orlando Task Force. This group of community representatives will work in tandem with the OPD to tackle crime-related issues and develop a strategic action plan that taps into every available resource.

I will make a promise to all of you. We will take every step necessary to ensure that residents and visitors feel safe and secure while visiting, working or living in our Downtown and anywhere in our city.

As we’ve focused on improving public safety and residential options, there has been a surge of new business activity in Parramore, including the relocation and expansion of Johnson’s Diner, the establishment of the City View Pharmacy and Flavor Fashion clothing store, as well as the opening of new restaurants like Quiznos Subs and Piattini’s Pizzeria. We have even seen the revival of a Parramore Merchants Association.

I mentioned earlier the term “sustainable bridges.” None of the successes we’ve just mentioned are sustainable without our next generation … our children. This year, the City of Orlando applied for and received a $500,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that will help launch the Parramore Kidz Zone.

This grant is being matched with another $1.5 million from local philanthropic organizations like the Dr. Phillips, Edyth Bush, Universal and Winter Park Foundations as well as the Kiwanis Club.

The Kidz Zone program will ensure that all of our children, starting with every single child in Parramore, will have access to the critical programs they need to grow and prosper … health care, after school programs, mentoring, and many more opportunities that will help them succeed and sustain productive lives. I can’t think of anything more important.

Creative Village

Diversifying our economy, and creating high-value jobs is key to ensuring our children are successful in building their lives right here in Orlando. Last year, at this very luncheon, I announced we would work on a plan to redevelop the Centroplex into an urban, creative village. This is an opportunity to build on our partnership with the UCF School of Film and Digital Media, and to make Downtown the heart of our creative industry.

Much like neighborhoods such as SoHo in New York, we envision a place where artists, computer programmers, video game designers and musicians gather to live, share ideas, create and learn, together.

In August, I asked Ben Noel, executive director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, and Suzy Allen, Director of Film and Digital Media Development for the EDC, two of the most creative people I know, to head up the Creative Village Concept Team. This extremely talented group of volunteers are developing recommendations on the key success factors needed to bring this vision to reality.

Imagine the Centroplex being transformed from a sea of asphalt parking spaces into an urban village that is home to multiple digital media and technology companies, one-of-a-kind retailers, students and a creative mix of residents.

Transportation:

As we imagine this future, think of having choices of how to get from point A to point B. We can leave the car at home, we can jump on the Commuter rail, we can transfer to Lymmo routes that crisscross downtown, connecting Lake Eola with Parramore, hospital with hospital and venue to venue.

I announced, last year, that the City developed the most comprehensive downtown transportation plan in our history and today, the results of that study are in.

Successful downtowns place an equal importance on people, as they do on cars. As a result of our planning, we will have a stronger focus on pedestrian places and amenities and, strengthen our city grid network for vehicles – connecting streets for easier traffic flow – reducing the time we spend in traffic.

Our residents also deserve transportation options, and the plan identifies, in partnership with Lynx, how to accomplish mass-transit for our community. The plan also calls for a network of electronic signage that will direct people to the closest available parking or away from traffic jams, or to special events – like the ones that will be held in our new community venues.

The bottom line is, in the future, whether you’re walking, driving or using transit, it will be easier to get around downtown.

Community Venues

Now, let’s stop for a minute and think about all of this…a skyline that has doubled in size; the revitalization of Parramore; enhanced transportation infrastructure; additional resources for public safety; a new “creative village” … you start to wonder how many more great announcements are possible.

But, I will tell you, we’re just getting started.

Many of you were with Mayor Crotty and me on Friday when we announced that the City and County are moving forward on the single biggest community investment ever made in this region.

To get these projects done required us to put aside the short-sighted goals of the politics of the day and move toward compromise and coalition building with our county government. Perhaps at another time this goal would not be achieved. That is not the case today and our region is the better for it.

So, I want to thank Mayor Crotty once again for making this a true partnership. I also want to thank our City Council Members and the Orange County Commissioners for their leadership throughout this process. There is much more to do … together … and I want to take a minute to recognize all of you. City and County Commissioners, could you all please stand so that we can recognize your leadership?

These kinds of projects can’t just be done by government leaders. They require the support and leadership of citizens, the business community and staff. We’ve had that support.

• From leaders of the tourism industry that supported this vision, especially Al Weiss, Bob Gault and Rich Maledecki,
• From community initiatives such as the EDC and Chamber’s Project Hometown led by Carmen Dominguez, Dean Kurtz and Jim Lewis,
• From leaders of each of the venue partners, Jim Pugh of OPAC, Alex Martins of the Magic and Bill Diamond of Florida Citrus sports
• From members of the City and County committee of four, Jay Berlinsky and Dykes Everett, Tom Drage and Ajit Lalchandani
• From dedicated County and City staff, especially Cheryl Henry, Rebecca Sutton, Byron Brooks, Frank Billingsley, and Allen Johnson,
• And, from all the residents, business owners, community leaders … you all should be congratulated for your many contributions.
• I also want to recognize and thank the woman who is my inspiration … my wife, Karen.

It’s an exciting time for our region. It’s truly a Triple Crown for Downtown. Later today we will be putting-up “Future Home” signs on each of the sites of the new venues. However, there is still a lot of work ahead for us to get these projects up and out of the ground, so we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and keep moving ahead.

There has never been a project to more significantly enhance our resident’s quality of life while providing new education opportunities, unprecedented economic impact and the transformation of our region’s urban core.

So on this beautiful day in October, in beautiful downtown Orlando, I think we should all agree that we are poised for greatness and that Orlando will be a better place to live … because of our BIG Dreams.

So, let’s get excited people … we’re doing them all, we’re doing them now and we’re doing them right! LET’S CELEBRATE!

October 27, 2004

On August 31, 2003, the Orlando Sentinel reported and I quote, “Homeless people, termites and rats the size of small dogs have taken over downtown Orlando’s most coveted piece of real estate.

Heralded by Mayor Buddy Dyer as the “keystone block”… the buildings are the city’s latest code enforcement nightmare. The block along Orange Avenue between Pine and Church Streets has sat mostly vacant for more than a decade while plan after plan for high-rises, a movie theater, shops and restaurants have fallen by the wayside. The city’s most recent hope of attracting a movie theater to the block appears to have collapsed” End quote.

Less than 14 months after that story was written we will break ground tonight on a construction project with high-rises, a movie theater, shops and restaurants and we will do so on our “cornerstone block” on Orange between Pine and Church streets. And I can promise you there will be few termites and all of you can decide if there are any rats in attendance at tonight’s event.

As Frank {Billingsley, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Board} has illuminated in his presentation, what a difference eighteen months can make. For those of you who attended this luncheon, not last year, but two years ago, stop and ask yourself if you really envisioned the rebirth and rebound of our downtown as it ebbs and flows with construction traffic and cranes.

As I sought this office for the first time 18 months ago I talked about transformational change vs. incremental change. I asked all of you to imagine a great city with a downtown that has restaurants and retail, a vibrant performing arts center, and professional sports drawing in citizens from not just our city or Orange County, but throughout the entire Central Florida region.

For the first time, as Frank has pointed out, people want to work and live in downtown Orlando and that, as all of you know, is the first step to ensuring the future of any downtown.

Simply look out your windows and you will see the progress we have made in our journey to build the great city I have asked you to imagine.

We have accomplished much, but we have much yet to do. Frank Billingsley has done a great job of telling you what we have done, now I would like to tell you what else we need to do.

And in the process let me just take a minute to say thank you to our city council members who have embraced much of what we have done and have always been there to move our agenda forward these last eighteen months.

We have had great success, in helping along the rebirth of our downtown core. Tonight we celebrate the ground breaking of the Plaza project, which is not only a tremendous success on its own, but is a symbol for what we have managed to do in our downtown.

We need to remember that while 2% of the city’s total land area is considered to be downtown, 14% of the city’s assessed value is downtown and 24% of our city’s employment is downtown.

Focusing our development efforts downtown will help control sprawl as we concentrate development right here in our core where people can walk to work rather than drive. One of best ways to control growth is to increase urban density. Density is an essential economic tool and an essential quality of life factor for people interested in living in an urban core.

Orlando has taken on the positive characteristics that most great cities have. Positive surprises and spontaneous encounters with people. Interesting architecture, arts, culture, shopping and dining.

Great cities in the 21st Century know they must develop partnerships with great Universities in order to develop the high wage economy of the mind that every city now covets. Our relationship with the University of Central Florida has never been better. President Hitt recently used the phrase University of Central Florida Downtown Campus and I can tell you that we at the City of Orlando intend to do everything we can to make that phrase a reality in the coming years.

One example of that new cooperative spirit came just a few weeks ago when we announced the formation of the Orlando Performing Arts Planning Board made up of 25 people from our community with the charge of designing a performing arts center that will include the University of Central Florida’s Arts programs on the performing arts site. UCF President Hitt, Chairman Crotty and I will sit as ex-officio members of the group. Jim Seneff of CNL and Dick Nunis who now is the Chairman of the UCF Foundation are serving as Vice Chairs and Jim Pugh, President of Epoch Properties, will serve as the Chairman. In the past, these efforts have been led by UCF or the Mayor. This group truly represents a collegial effort by the entire community, including UCF, to pull together to get this project out of the ground within the next four years.

Earlier, I used the term ‘Transformational Change.’ Let me elaborate. The times that we live in are evolving daily. The pace that we receive and use information is faster than ever. Your expectations for our City are high, but not higher than mine. When I came into office, I found opportunities to use our healthy real estate market to the City’s advantage. In fact, the City’s own real estate holdings were a valuable asset.

On the north parking lot of City Hall, a new tower is emerging for the expansion of CNL, one of our largest downtown employers. The 55 West project mentioned earlier, will rise from the site of the City’s Pine Street garage. The recently approved UCF Film and Digital Media School will be located in this Expo Center. This past Monday, our City Council approved the selection of Lincoln Property and Dynetech Corporation’s proposal to redevelop the City’s parking lot #2 on Washington St. and Magnolia Avenue.

All four of these projects conceptualized during the past 18 months reflect our aggressive style of pushing forward on an agenda to make our downtown the most livable in America.

Future projects may rise from other City properties. As we are ready to christen the new Lynx Headquarters and hub, we have an ideal opportunity to redevelop the current Lynx location.

The City owned parking lot on West Washington Street, currently under design, is being evaluated for potential expansion and to serve as our next development site in our city center.

Using our own assets to grow our City has been a wonderful choice in our toolbox of change in the downtown. But as we grow, we are still left with some of the goals of the Downtown Development Board unmet. For instance, a full-service grocery store is one of the last pieces of the puzzle in making downtown the 24-hour City we all envision.

I am pleased to announce to you that we have reached tentative agreement with a development group to build the first Publix in our core in decades. This unique project will rise on the south side of Lake Eola and will include a residential condominium above the 29,000 square foot store.

But the measure of our success will not come in just the rebirth of our core. That was yesterday’s measuring stick. Tomorrow brings a barometer of success with far greater challenges than we have faced these past 18 months.

If we are to succeed as a downtown, we must demonstrate our ability to bridge our core downtown with Thornton Park on the east side and Parramore on the west side. To those who have cautioned us that quote “jumping I-4 will be difficult” in our redevelopment efforts, let me say that all of our efforts in building our city will be an abject failure if we are unable to include the Parramore neighborhood in the rebirth of our downtown core.

Working with Commissioner Lynum, it is my hope that I will stand before you next year and will tell you that we have started new housing in Parramore, new restaurants and retail are planned for Parramore and that we are beginning to blend our neighborhoods with new and innovative transportation modes.

On November 11th, work will commence on the Parramore Park Pond project. Two new code enforcement officers have been assigned just to Parramore and in the coming weeks we will announce a new Parramore initiative aimed at the eradication of drugs and prostitution. We are permanently focused on making Parramore a livable neighborhood that is second to none in our city for its residents.

And within the confines and parameters of Parramore and to the west are the sporting venues that are identifiable with our city. These venues have served us well for many years but now are in need of replacement or renovation.

This year not withstanding, I take Coach O’Leary at his word when he says that his goal is to build a top-20 football program at the University of Central Florida and they will need a top twenty facility to play in.

It is clear that we must find, build or renovate the existing home for our anchor tenant at the Orlando Arena, the Orlando Magic.

The present Arena configuration does not lend itself to producing the revenues they need to survive as a franchise. But more importantly, we need to focus our efforts and design a community around the Arena that will support not only those who drive in for concerts and games, but the students who will attend the new University of Central Florida Film and Digital Media School to be located here at the Centroplex. We need to do all of this with sensitivity and involvement by those neighbors who live around the Arena.

This year, the Super Bowl will be held in Jacksonville. Jacksonville!

Here we are with more hotel rooms than any city other than Las Vegas and Jacksonville is hosting a Super Bowl and for one simple reason…they have a stadium that is acceptable to the NFL.

The Citrus Bowl can be an incredible economic engine for our city and the neighborhood surrounding that area, but it desperately needs not a band-aid solution to mollify a bowl game or series but a complete makeover of the facility. Yes cosmetic changes are important, but if we are to succeed in making the Citrus Bowl a destination for championship bowls and professional sports we need to accept the fact that the Citrus Bowl is in need of an overhaul.

Now, the bad news -- that overhaul will cost us about $150 million dollars and today I cannot tell you where the City or the County will find $150 million dollars. But the good news is that if we are able to develop a funding formula, the Citrus Bowl, when we are done, will be one of the pre-eminent facilities for football and soccer and certainly an adequate facility for baseball. The city of Philadelphia spent $400 million just for their football facility. The city of Chicago spent almost $600 million to revitalize Soldiers Field. Renovating the Citrus Bowl is a bargain by stadium standards.

And when we renovate the Citrus Bowl it will be an economic success for one very important reason.

We will improve the neighborhoods around the Citrus Bowl at the same time.

Do not think for a minute that we will ever have a first class sports facility sitting near Orange Blossom Trail if we allow the acronym OBT to continue to be synonymous with drugs and prostitution. We need to be prepared to roll up our sleeves and go to work building not just a sports stadium but a vibrant neighborhood that has many of the characteristics we are trying to build right here in downtown.

Stop and imagine, for just one minute, a first-class sports facility that can host future world cup soccer matches, major, professional or college football events, and, yes, perhaps a weekend or two of major league baseball, and host a AAA baseball team in the summer. And that facility would be connected by the Church Street Trolley running from downtown to Thornton Park.

Sound hard to believe? In a recent news article written by G. Scott Thomas of the American City Business Journal, Orlando was rated as having twice the economic capacity needed for an NFL franchise or a National Hockey League team. And we had the highest rating of any market not already in Major League Baseball, though our income base, Mr. Thomas points out, is 7 percent short of that sports requirement.

Out of 172 markets analyzed for new sports teams Orlando was ranked third overall behind Los Angeles and Philadelphia and ahead of Houston, Portland and Las Vegas.

Many here today will say it can’t be done. There will always be one side of town pitted against another…the haves and the have-nots.

To those of you who share these views, I remind you of the poets words and I say, “Happy are those who dream dreams and have the courage to make them come true.”

My dream is for a city and her neighborhoods connected by a thriving core.

Fourteen months ago and indeed, just a few weeks ago, some of you thought that we would never see the Plaza on Orange rise out of the ground. Tonight we will make that dream a reality. Tomorrow, with your help, we make the dreams I have talked about today a reality, making next year’s lunch an even grander celebration of what we have accomplished together!

October 4, 2007

I wake up every day energized by the opportunity, not just to serve as the Mayor of Orlando, but to serve as your Mayor at this time in Orlando’s history.

I truly believe we are headed toward a future as the next great American City of this new century.

And, downtown is fueling our region’s future.

Together, we have come so far … so fast, in our effort to realize our vision of a world-class downtown for everyone who lives, works, plays, learns and raises a family in Central Florida.

Four years ago, we stood up and challenged the status quo. We ignored the notion that Orlando could never compete with the great cities of the world.

We dreamed big, we acted boldly and today, I’m here to tell you, Orlando is the envy of those cities.

Brick by brick … and block by block …We laid the foundation for a downtown that defines us and binds us. But a city, like a home, is not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about spirit … the spirit of this community.

We diversified our economy and strengthened our neighborhoods.

We attracted businesses, restaurants and residents like never before.

We are seeing the results of our hard work.

• We have transformed our skyline.
• We’ve bolstered our bottom line.
• And soon… we’ll have a commuter rail line.

This is the state of our downtown – surging forward and accomplishing our goals by leaps and bounds.

Now, this is one of my favorite events every year.

I enjoy it because there’s no talk of “baby steps.” No … our downtown renaissance is about giant strides.

Our success is the result of the hard work of so many people.

• My partner and friend, Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty.
• The president of our hometown university, Dr. John Hitt
• Our dedicated City Council.
• Our downtown development board chaired by Jennifer Quigley.

And, my biggest supporter, my wife Karen … thank you for all you do for our family and for this community.

The accomplishments of the past year alone are nothing short of extraordinary.

We saw progress across the board - from government to residential to commercial and retail. Projects like: The new federal court house, The Vue, Star Tower, 801 North Orange.

Recently, we had the topping off ceremony for Dynetech Centre. 55 West is only two stories away. And soon, we will have our first downtown supermarket, Publix at the Paramount.

But our success is about “smart growth” and bringing quality jobs to our downtown core … jobs for the entire region.

We’ve seen a “ripple effect” that’s expanded what we call downtown. Our vibrant urban core now spans from Florida Hospital in the North to Orlando Regional in the South. We are extending these anchors, adding mixed use projects like Mills Park and SODO.

We are building a downtown for everyone in Central Florida. Soon, our downtown core will be a destination for world class sports, arts and entertainment. This summer, with the help and cooperation of Mayor Crotty, the Orlando City Council, the Orange County board of commissioners, our venue partners, the tourism industry our EDC and Chamber of Commerce, and a host of other community and business leaders we turned the dream of three community venues into a reality. These venues will serve as the cultural cornerstone for our region for generations to come.

And remember, these public projects are more than just buildings, they are catalysts of economic opportunity for local businesses and workers, providing a sustainable foundation for local business growth and jobs.

We are also ensuring our downtown renaissance means opportunity for the next generation … our children. A little over a year ago we started the Parramore Kidz zone in downtown’s Parramore neighborhood - where 73 percent of our children live in poverty. This innovative program connects the neediest of our youth with services and educational opportunities. Today, 1-in-4 kids have been helped.

Our downtown renaissance is about opportunity for everyone.

With an influx of people, we’re acting now to make sure it’s easy to get around our urban core. A more walkable, liveable center city is on the horizon. The hallmark of a downtown is multi-modal transit. We’re on the way to having a commuter rail system to link our downtown with the rest of central Florida. And, with our partner Lynx, we’ll see expanded service of LYMMO, our free downtown circulator.

Though our accomplishments are many, we will not rest on our laurels. We are headed full steam ahead toward a future for downtown that remains brimming with promise and progress.

As downtown grows, our unwavering commitment to keeping people safe remains stronger than ever. Crime will not be tolerated anywhere in our City and that certainly includes downtown Orlando. That’s why we’re continuing to strengthen our safety infrastructure.

Beginning this week, we’re implementing an aggressive plan to keep our downtown core safe. We have created a “downtown patrol district” to focus our resources on the community policing that a vibrant city center must have.

This means more officers during the day and at night. We’re also re-activating a bike unit exclusively for the Parramore neighborhood. These are police on the street who will make a personal connection with those who live, work and visit downtown.

Wheels of a different variety are part of another effort that we’re rolling out this fall, our downtown ambassadors. Programs like this have been a staple of resurging downtowns across the country like San Diego, Nashville and Charlotte. In November, Orlando joins the club.

Our ambassadors will offer information, directions and assistance. They’ll provide police with extra sets of eyes and ears atop Segway electric vehicles. We’re opening a downtown information center on Orange Avenue as part of this program. It will serve as home base for our mobile ambassadors.

We are also moving forward with plans to relocate “the big house, fire station 1” into a new, a state-of-the-art, fire complex that will also house all of our special operations units.

This weekend, you may notice paramedics on bikes … OFD will launch its Downtown Bike team to respond to emergency medical calls in our city core on weekends, holidays and during special events. This effort will allow for quicker response time and keep more fire units available to answer additional 911 calls.

We will not falter in our commitment to keep people safe.

We also have a duty to protect the environment and our downtown plays a vital role in this effort to “go green.” Just a few days ago, we launched “Green Works Orlando,” our comprehensive plan to make Orlando a more environmentally-responsible city.

Our effort begins with the buildings downtown that are driving our renaissance and growth. Because we realize buildings impact our environment just as much as cars do, all new municipal buildings will be “green” like our new fire stations.

Our green program includes more trees, more green spaces and a push to partner with downtown businesses and residents who want to focus on sustainability.

That partnership also extends to our relationships with Orange County and OUC. Construction is underway at OUC’s new administration building to make it the greenest building in our urban core.

Today’s event presenter, the Downtown Orlando Partnership, has agreed to expand their popular “Golden Brick Award of Excellence” program. A new Green Bricks category has been added to recognize those who make a positive environmental impact.

From green innovation… to cutting edge animation… downtown Orlando aims to be the “high tech home” for film and digital media. Not too long ago, we unveiled a vision for a downtown “Creative Village.”

House of Moves, the world’s largest motion capture studio, is almost ready to open its new east coast facility and will serve as a another cornerstone to the Creative Village.

Nearby, UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy is already producing the graduates that will fuel this growing industry in our City.

Technology is literally everywhere downtown. SmartCity has turned up free, outdoor, wireless Internet service for mobile users creating WIFI SmartZones throughout downtown.

As we advance towards the future, we do so with a focus on restoring one of the most historic areas in our downtown.

Church Street Station was once a destination for visitors and residents, and now, Church Street is returning to its past glory. As you read in the paper this morning, just outside our doors will sit a new Hilton Hotel connected to this very ballroom. A host of new restaurants will be opening like a new pizza restaurant, a new steakhouse and a dessert cafe. You will also be able to see the guy who started it all on Church Street Bob Snow as he reopens the Cheyenne Saloon early next year.

And the best news of all is that Church Street Station will once again be a hub for restaurants, entertainment and transportation for our downtown.

Finally, last week, Orlando was accepted into the renowned national “Main Street” program. This initiative provides small, neighborhood businesses with tools and training so they can work together to make their local business districts stronger.

When approved by our City Council, we will be the first “big city” urban main street program in the Southeast.

The “main street” philosophy is simple: A city can only be great if it has a great downtown … A City can only have a great downtown if it has great neighborhoods.

Orlando is already blessed with distinct, vibrant neighborhoods. This “big city” plan will establish programs in each of our six City districts to foster healthier, stronger commercial corridors.

Over the years, I’ve used a lot of numbers to chronicle our downtown renaissance. I certainly used a few today.

However, ultimately, our downtown success story isn’t all about square footage or dollar signs. Our accomplishments cannot only be measured in facts and figures.

To truly see where we’ve come from and where we’re headed... you have to realize that success is also measured in the faces and places that make up our downtown.

Our downtown success story is in this room.

It’s with each and every one of you and our entire community.

Each of you has a story, a reason why you chose to be involved in reshaping and reinventing what downtown Orlando could be. Each of you has worked to create a downtown that belongs to everyone… a downtown that acts as “Central Florida’s front porch”…

A place where people from across the region come to be with each other, celebrate with one another, be entertained together. It’s a place where we build community bonds and lasting memories.

In the spirit of this thought, I’d like to welcome all of you to Orlando’s front porch – right here in the room.

October 2, 2008

Good afternoon! It’s great to be in Downtown Orlando! State of Downtown is one of my favorite events. If you’ve been here before, you know we do something different every year. We like to loosen our ties… Sometimes, we crank up the music… We try to do away with the stuffy speeches! Although, I’ve probably given a few!

Most importantly, we celebrate our accomplishments and we look to the future. We celebrate our progress in reshaping and revitalizing our Downtown. We look ahead… to the world class Downtown that everyone in this room is helping to build for all of Central Florida.

This year, unfortunately, it’s also vital to recognize that we are in the midst of a crisis on Wall Street and a larger economic slump for our country.

This financial climate means challenges for our families and local businesses. It means challenges for state and local governments. It means challenges for our Downtown. So, the program we have built for you today is designed to address our challenges:

• How do we sustain our Downtown revitalization through this economic down-turn?
• Why are America’s downtowns more important than ever?
• How do we best position Downtown Orlando as the engine that propels our central Florida economy?

We have put together a panel of experts to explore these questions and ideas. But, before we get into the discussion, I want to make a few announcements and acknowledgments:

• We have representatives from our hometown university, UCF: Provost and Executive Vice President - Terry Hickey, and, the Executive Director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy - Ben Noel. UCF President, Doctor John Hitt, could not be here. I want to thank him and everyone from UCF for their willingness invest in our Downtown. Terry and Ben, I know you are as excited as I am to announce that UCF is expanding its presence in Downtown Orlando!In 2005, UCF opened FIEA. Since that time, the school has been successful at graduating students that can go directly into high paying jobs in the growing field of interactive, digital entertainment. FIEA will now be part of a much larger Downtown facility that includes a variety of digital media and film disciplines. It will include UCF’s film school. It will house TV, film and motion capture studios. It will also be home to “Citi-Lab” a partnership between UCF and the University of Florida school of Architecture.Today, I have the pleasure of announcing the birth of the: UCF Center for Emerging Media. Along with the House of Moves, the Center for Emerging Media will anchor our creative village. In the near future, our creative village will be a place where professionals in the emerging media industry can live, work and play… all here Downtown.
• For many years, we’ve said one of the critical elements of our Downtown’s revitalization would be a superior downtown supermarket. Just last month, Publix at the Paramount opened its doors! Chad Wilson and Paul Bracker from Publix are with us.
• Another fundamental element is a downtown movie theater. I know… I know. If you were here two years ago, you might still have the tickets we gave out for the premiere. We are close to securing our movie theater and I am excited to tell you those tickets are still good!
• We are keeping the construction momentum moving Downtown. Yesterday, I helped break ground on Downtown’s newest high rise, the Montage. The Montage will be Downtown’s first environmentally-friendly, LEED certified residential building.
• Speaking of green buildings, OUC’s new headquarters is set to open on November 11th. It will be Downtown’s first LEED certified commercial building and it will set the standard for all future office buildings in our Downtown.
• Keeping Downtown, and our entire City safe, is our top priority. I hope all of you got a chance to check out one of our IRIS cameras as you made your way into the ballroom. These are “smart cameras” that can detect movement and alert police to crimes as they are happening. In the next few months, we will be launching phase two of our IRIS camera program beginning in our Downtown core. We’re doing this through a unique public-private partnership lead by Darden Restaurants and the Target Corporation.
• Many of our Downtown small business owners are here today. From Church Street… to Vendor’s Way. From Thornton Park… to Ivanhoe Village. From the SODO project where a new Target store will open as the anchor of an exciting mixed-use prototype… to Mills Park.I want to personally salute each and every one of you. You have made a commitment to Downtown and to the future of this community.I know challenges remain. I want to ensure our small business owners that our City is doing everything possible to set the stage for you to succeed. To further that effort, today, we launch a newly-enhanced “Business Assistance Team.” Whether it’s a helping hand in explaining the permitting process… A connection to business counseling… Or simply access to City services… The B.A.T. will offer a “one stop shop” designed to give our business owners help during tough economic times.
• Another project we are excited about is the Renaissance at Carver Square which will go up where the historic Carver Theater once stood. This mixed-use project includes a community theater and commercial space, along with a small business incubator, providing education and networking components.I am pleased to announce the anchor tenant for the Renaissance at Carver Square will be the Urban Trust Bank. Founded by Robert Johnson, owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats and founder of B-E-T, the Urban Trust Bank will not only serve as a Downtown branch, but as the home office for the entire company. It’s exciting to have Mr. Johnson play a part in the revitalization of Parramore and Downtown Orlando.I want to recognize the CEO of the Urban Trust who is with us today, Dan Fisher. This public-private partnership is another important advance for Parramore that will ensure the neighborhood’s future as a thriving downtown residential and business district. We have made an unprecedented investment in the neighborhood: Through this project… Through the Pathways for Parramore initiative… And now, through Community Venues… We have laid the foundation to change the future for downtown residents both east and west of I-4.
• A year ago we made history when we committed to building our Community venues. Today, I’m happy to report we are on course to bring world class arts and entertainment options to Downtown Orlando. We’ve broken ground on our Events Center. We are well into the design stages of our performing arts center.On Monday, we will award the architectural contract for the Citrus Bowl renovation. This week, the contract for the steel to build the events center was awarded to a local company, Schuff Steel. With a steel fabrication facility in our own backyard, this means almost 300 jobs for local workers. We are extending education and job opportunities through our Community Blueprint. Like FDR did in the 1930’s, we will use our public projects to provide jobs and job training during tough economic times.
• Our Community Venues will propel our Downtown toward a brighter future. But, we still need more transportation options if we are going to rival the great downtowns of the world. That’s where commuter rail fits in. I’m sure most of you have followed our collective effort to make commuter rail a reality. The local, state and federal funding is in place. The only piece of the puzzle remaining is legislative approval of some legal language. Many of you have asked, “What can I do to help?” My friends, we are going to get this done! And, you can play an important part.In your bags, you’ll find some information about the project. You’ll also find a blank post card. Right now, the governor, Florida’s CFO and many new legislators are forming their priorities for the coming year. We need to tell Tallahassee that Commuter Rail isn’t just vital to Central Florida. It’s vital to the transportation future of the entire state. So, it should be their priority. I’m asking that each of you write a personal note, asking our state leaders to make Central Florida’s Commuter Rail a priority. And, put your name and address on it. If you do it today, you can drop it off in the back of the room and it will be mailed for you.
• Commuter rail is just another great example of a shared dream that we are turning into reality because of partnership and cooperation. Everything we have accomplished and all that we aim to achieve for Downtown comes from our ability to work together. I have no better partners than our City commissioners. I would like to thank each of them for their commitment to Downtown and the residents of our City. I also want to recognize and thank our CRA Advisory Board and our Downtown Development Board. Thank you, to our friends on the Orange County Commission represented here today by Commissioner Mildred Fernandez. I also want to thank my wife Karen, for all you do for our community and our family.

Our Downtown has faced challenges over the past five years. We have overcome every one in order to lay the foundation for a world class urban center. This is a credit to every single person in this room. I want to thank all of you for believing in Downtown Orlando. Yes, there are new challenges ahead. But, the state of our Downtown remains filled with potential and ready to meet any obstacle!

State of Downtown Discussion Panelists:

David Feehan, president of the International Downtown Association. David has devoted more than 35 years to rebuilding and revitalizing cities. He has directed downtown programs across the country.

Doctor Jerry Mitchell, professor of public affairs at Baruch College at the City University of New York. His research focuses on downtown development both here in the US and in Europe.

John Thomas, Director of Policy and Political Affairs for the Florida League of Cities. He represents the interests of more than 400 cities. He also serves as Executive Director of Florida’s Urban Partnership.

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!

---

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.

---

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!

---

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.

---

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!

---

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.

---

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!

---

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.

---

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!